Ravaged
by Miss Mungoe
Summary: Their world stretches out before them now; a sprawling land of wilderness and the ruins of Men. – GaLe, post-Daimatou Enbu AU. Rated 'M' for language.
1. those who brave the open skies

AN: This was inspired by Rae's amazing artwork depicting Gajeel and Levy in a post-apocalyptic Fiore. (She's **raedoodles** on tumblr – go check her out!) The story is AU from after the Daimatou Enbu, and explores a reality in which the predicted army of dragons attacked Fiore, and in which Fairy Tail is struggling to survive. It's also loosely inspired by the film _Reign of Fire_, fufu. (It's got nothing to do with the twin-paradox-slayer theory, alas!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters – Hiro Mashima does. Cover image by Rae.

* * *

**Ravaged**

**by Miss Mungoe **

It was her first time seeing the sun in over a month.

Lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the glare, Levy breathed in the smell of fresh air with an almost greedy vigour, letting it fill her lungs until it physically hurt before exhaling. The warmth of the midday sun felt foreign on her face; too hot, somehow, and she pulled the hood of her jacket over her head to stifle the sense of _nakedness._ The open sky made her uneasy, but there was not a sound in the low valley to suggest any impeding danger.

Soft footfalls to her left alerted her of the return of her partner, and she looked up as Gajeel stepped into her line of sight, his own eyes fixed on the endless blue of the sky stretching far and wide above them.

"Juvia was right – the nest's been abandoned. We don't have to take the long way around," he said as he turned his eyes on her, shifting the weight of his duffel over his shoulder. "You ready to go?"

Levy nodded, summoning courage she didn't really think she had. Inhale. Exhale. "Yeah."

He gave her a long, hard look, studded brows pulling down beneath the headband keeping his hair away from his face. "Ya don't have to do this today," he said then, and despite his gruff tone, she caught the underlying concern he wasn't able to fully mask.

She smiled, and brushed her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. The slight shift of his gaze would probably have gone unnoticed by anyone else, but she caught it, and she wondered how bad the scars really looked. She hadn't had a mirror in weeks.

The action had been deliberate, though, and he took it for answer, motioning for her to follow him as he searched out a hidden path amongst the brushwood at the edge of the forest. Crawling up the slope of the valley, it looked innocuous in the warm light of the sun; lush and green against the backdrop of bright, sun-kissed blue. Welcoming, almost, for those who knew nothing of its beautiful deception. Making sure her hair was properly tucked into the confines of her hood, Levy chanced another glance at the sky through the sparse canopy.

"It's quiet," came the low rumble, and she said nothing as she let the words sink in. _Too_ _quiet_, was the unspoken warning, but he knew better than to voice _that_ aloud.

She walked closer, and he shifted his weight to accommodate her, never walking too far ahead, and lingering just close enough but not too close to hinder her own pace. The hem of his coat brushed against the backs of his shins, and her fingers itched to reach out to the free hand dangling invitingly by his side, but she pushed the urge away. They had more pressing matters, and now was not the time.

It didn't take long before the light peppering of shrubs grew thicker, and the stillness of the forest seemed almost loud in her ears the further in they ventured. Overhead, the rays of the sun broke through the canopy, spilling light onto the patches of dirt and leaves ahead of them, and all around them was the dim glow of golden green. In another life, she would have stopped to take in the splendour; to pause and admire the wonder of nature and the peaceful tranquillity of the forest.

But the ravaged truth of their existence had long since torn the simple pleasures of life from her grasp, and where she once saw beauty there was now the ever lurking suspicion of betrayal. Because Nature wasn't on their side in this war, and the lulling safety of the forest could well be camouflage for the hulking shapes of their adversaries.

Gajeel paused in his step, and Levy followed suit, and schooled her breathing as she watched him listen. His casual stance betrayed none of the tension or the constant alertness that governed his behaviour topside. There was no room for relaxation for those daring the scrutiny of the open skies.

She knew the coast was clear by the change in his breathing; the subtle shift from barely perceptible to audible, but waited for him to take the lead, moving in behind him as the path grew ever more obscured. The soft soles of her boots made no noise against the fallen bark and leaves underfoot, but always at the back of her mind lurked the nagging fear of discovery.

"I've got yer back."

The low rumble pulled her out of her thoughts, and she realized with a start that her heart was hammering against her ribcage. Of course he'd noticed, but he hadn't paused in his step; hadn't turned on his heel and taken her back to Refuge, demanding her not yet ready. Clenching her shaking hands, Levy felt her heart swell at the gesture. He knew how important it was for her to conquer the fear. He'd even specifically asked to be the one to go with her on her first trip from Refuge to Haven, even when Juvia had suggested she do it.

"I know," she said then, and when he turned his head a fraction, there was a ghost of a smirk there that made some of the terror uncoil within her. She drew a deep breath, "I won't leave your side."

He halted a little in his step at that, but caught himself before he actually stopped, and she smiled a little at his surprise. It seemed an age ago now – the exams. The trek through the forest, and their argument. It was in a whole other time; a whole other _life_. The beginning of the end of the world. But it was fresh in her mind, and she wouldn't soon forget. A dark guild would be a welcome alternative to the purgatorial flames of their current enemies. In the blissful silence of the forest it was almost too easy to forget the ashen ruins of their former home, and the paralysing calls of their new Masters. Death seemed an easy escape, but for them, it was never an option.

So they were still here, and still alive. Fighting to live, and living to fight. They couldn't change the fate of the world when Hell descended from the skies, but they had changed _their own fate_, and for now that would have to be enough. The world would have to wait a little longer.

The forest was slowly darkening around them as they made their way in a curving arch across the slope of the valley. Haven was on the other side, nestled into a deep crevice at the foot of Fiore's northern mountain region. It was the largest of their scattered sanctuaries, and Levy had been meaning to make the move for weeks, ever since Fried had sent for her, asking her assistance with the development of protective and camouflaging rune spells. Haven also had the largest collection of salvaged books and scrolls amongst all the shelters, and if she wanted to do her part in the war, that was her best shot of making a difference. It wasn't on the front lines with Natsu and Gajeel, but that didn't mean it wasn't as important.

"Want a break?"

She didn't let on how grateful she felt when he spoke, and if he hadn't stopped, apparently fully intended to take a break himself, she would have pretended she was fine. She knew he could have kept going for miles yet, and maybe she could have done the same, once, but her recuperation in Refuge had made her too idle too long, and everything from the soles of her feet to her lower back ached from the strain. She tried not to sigh too much in relief when she settled against a protruding boulder sticking up from the earth, stretching her legs out in front of her and letting her muscles relax. A water-skin was proffered, and she accepted it without complaint, and when Gajeel settled down beside her she let her head fall against his shoulder. They sat like that for a few blessed moments – calm yet alert.

"When will you have to leave?" she asked then, the question escaping without her full consent, and she tensed when the words fell between them in the silence of the forest.

She felt him stiffen against her, before his shoulders relaxed a little. It seemed more of a slump, though, and she dreaded the answer long before it made its way past his lips. "I'll take a day ta make sure yer settled, and then I'll head south," he said, finally. "Natsu's gonna need help getting the fourth settlement started. And I told Lil' I'd meet him in two days. If I'm gonna reach the capitol by then, I can't stay too long."

She fidgeted a little with the water-skin in her hands, tracing the scarred pads of her fingers across the soft leather. It wasn't 'Salamander' anymore, she noticed. Not even 'the idiot'. The war had changed a lot of things, and for a moment, she was glad to discover it wasn't all for the worse.

Still, his words confirmed what she had been dreading. Their reunion wasn't going to be very long.

A hand curled around hers then, and she realised with a start that she hadn't said anything, and when she looked up to meet his gaze his brows were furrowed. "I'd stay," he said then, simply, because it was him, but what she heard was what he didn't say.

_If I could, I'd stay. And if I wasn't walking into hell, I'd take you with me. I wouldn't leave ya again if I had a choice. _

She entwined her fingers with his and drew a shuddering breath. For weeks, she'd awaited word of his whereabouts; every day dreading the worst. Then he'd shown up, with new scars and new shadows behind his eyes, but she hadn't cared because he'd been _alive_. And even if she hadn't seen the sun in weeks, just seeing him before her, _breathing_, had been worth more than a lifetime in then sunlight.

"I miss you," she said then, voice barely above a whisper. It wouldn't change anything, she knew. He would still have to leave, to go south with the others because his role in the war was not the same as her own. And no matter how badly she wished she could be with him instead of the opposite way across the country, Levy also knew they couldn't afford to be selfish. Not when there was so much at stake.

He didn't verbally answer her admission, but then that didn't surprise her. Instead he drew her closer, tugging at her scarred hand as his free one reached for her chin. The rough pads of his fingers traced the jagged marks against her skin before tangling in her hair, and she met him halfway, mouth searching out his with blind desperation. It was the most egoistic they would allow themselves to be, and she clutched the moment greedily to her heart, drawing him in with the same vigour she had drawn fresh air hours before. The stone jutting into her side ceased to exist, as did the muffled silence of the forest, and she hadn't even realized she was crying before his thumbs wiped the wetness away from her cheeks, and she sobbed silently against him. Clutching at his coat, she tugged him closer, trying to make up for weeks apart and desperately attempting to prepare herself for the lonely days that would follow when he left her again.

She shifted closer, always closer, and he let her, tugging her towards him until she was snug against him. The steady '_thump_ _thump_' of his heart against his ribs rang loud and comforting in her ears, cutting through the silence around them, and it eradicated the haunting memories of lonely nights spent wondering if he was still alive. She savoured the sound and the feel of him as though she'd never experience either ever again, because she couldn't say for sure that she would. Neither of them could.

When she broke the kiss, her hands shook against the scarred skin of his face, fingertips tracing the familiar piercings lining the bridge of his nose and the arch of his brows, memorizing the feel and the look of him. The scar slicing down the length of his face had faded since the last time she saw it, but it still stood out against his skin. For others it was a mark of their struggle and a reminder of the enemy they were fighting; an emblem of their common goal, transcending the crests of guilds. For her, it was something far more personal.

It was the reminder of the life she owed him.

His eyes were closed, and he looked _tired_ – more tired than she's seen him since the war began. Knowing him, though, he wouldn't have allowed himself to be tired; to think about life as something other than an endless battle, and a struggle to stay alive.

She was about to open her mouth; to tell him what she'd been too afraid to say the last time they'd parted ways, when his eyes snapped open, baring dragon-like slits in blood red irises, and before she'd even had a chance to react he'd hurtled himself forward, tackling her to the ground just as an ear-deafening screech tore through the silence. His weight crashed against hers, driving the breath from her lungs with a force that had pain flaring like fire in her chest. Her head slammed painfully against the forest floor as his shape covered hers, and her vision was obscured by the fabric of shirt.

The canopy above them exploded with fire the moment they hit the ground rolling.

The forest floor rippled beneath them with the force of the attack, and Levy's mind hadn't had time to catch up when another echoing shriek answered the first, cutting into her ears and all the way to the marrow of her bones. Gajeel was quick, though, and on his feet, pulling her with him even before the second attack shook the forest. Pushing her behind him, he surveyed the hole in the forest roof, and Levy's heart lodged into her throat as a shadow fell over the sunlight streaming in from the open sky. The beat of enormous wings above was loud as a great drum in her ears, and had the heavy branches of the old trees bending to the will of their power.

"Two," Gajeel muttered, before turning around enough to meet her gaze. "When I say 'run', you _run_."

"_No_–"

"That's not a _suggestion_, Levy!" he snapped, cutting her off, and desperation crept into his voice even as it hit her with the force of a physical blow.

The ground beneath then heaved suddenly with the sudden descent of a great weight, and Levy staggered forward, hands grasping for the lapels of his jacket. He took advantage of the momentum, dropping to the ground and rolling around the boulder they'd been previously resting against. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"Forget it," she snapped, voice no more than a breath, but conveying a refusal that brooked no argument. "No way in hell am I running if you're staying. You either run with me, or we stay here and fight. Either way, we do it together."

"Two dragons is _suicide_," he growled.

"More so for you alone," she countered, hands finding his. "It will tear me apart to see you go south later, but I'll live, and I'll wait for you to come back, but if I let you leave me _now_ and I lose you I won't be able to go on."

"That's bull–"

"Don't underestimate how much you mean to me, Gajeel Redfox!" she snapped, and the surprise that flitted across his face at the admission would have made her feel triumphant in any other situation. "I'm not leaving you. Now make _your_ _choice_."

And he did. When the second drake touched down behind them to join the first, his hand yanked her chin towards him in a violent kiss that had their teeth clashing together and her lip catching in one of his canines, tearing the soft skin so it bled.

"You better keep up, Shorty," he growled against her mouth, before shoving them both forward, shielding her long enough for her to twist around. His hand found her back, splaying warm and strong between her shoulder blades.

"_Go!" _

Then he _shoved_, propelling her forward with a force that almost had her falling over, but she caught herself just in time, keeping her balance even though the ground shuddered beneath their feet.

And then they ran.

Her aching feet hit the uneven ground at a full sprint, and she pushed herself forward, to run faster – ever faster – even as fear rooted itself in her heart and threatened to ground her. Part of her wanted to lay down and surrender, to curl up and let fate do its worst, but another part of her – the stubborn part that marked her a mage of Fairy Tail above all else – drowned the feeling with a surge of righteous indignation. She hadn't gotten him back just to lose him. She hadn't wished to join the war just to back out the moment things got rough.

And she'd been dead serious when she'd told him there was no way in the Hell that was their world, that she was running away without him.

He was beside her then, ever the quicker with his long strides. "Go right, down towards the river. I'll find you on the bank by the mountainside," he shouted, before swivelling around just as a roar tore through the forest from the direction they had come. Squaring his shoulders and drawing a deep breath, Levy didn't have to look to know what followed, and threw herself down the passage he had appointed just as he unleashed his roar.

It wouldn't be enough to stop them; but it would, perhaps, buy them time.

Her lungs seared with the effort of keeping up her pace, and her already protesting muscles felt like lead as she hurtled through the shrubbery. Branches and thorns reached their sharp hands towards her as she frantically hurtled past them, and tears blurred her vision as she pushed herself forward until the taste of blood was sharp in her mouth.

A rumble shook the ground then, and she staggered forward, hitting the forest floor with enough force to knock the breath from her burning lungs. Her arms smarted from where she'd reached out to catch herself, but she scrambled back up, holding back an exhausted sob as she made for the greenery ahead. She could just make out the sound of the river, and it was music to hear ears as she sprinted the last steps into a small clearing between the trees.

She could make out the bank near the foot of the mountain further down, and her heart soared as she caught sight of a fissure in the mountainside suited for taking cover. Just as she had taken a step towards the water, however, a shadow fell over the river, obscuring the sun, followed by the cutting shriek of one of their predators.

Without hesitating, Levy threw herself down into the river, clenching her eyes shut as the water pulled her under. Her ears thundered with the surge of her own blood, and her starving lungs flared with the pain of holding her breath. Throwing her eyes open, she made a grab for one of the stones littering the bottom of the river to keep herself rooted below the water. The current wasn't strong, but it tugged at her regardless, and her arms throbbed from the pressure she was putting on them. From above her, a great shadow passed over the clearing and the river, and she caught the ripple of darkness below the clear surface of the water.

Then it was gone, and the sun shone bright and unblemished above her. Still, she waited until she was certain the coast was clear, until the point where the lack of air nearly forced her hand, and then she broke the surface of the river, gasping for breath. Her hair covered her eyes and sight, and she flailed with her arms, searching for the edge of the bank–

A hand grasped hers; rough, warm fingers curling around it, before she was hoisted out of the water and onto the grassy bank. Water merged with the tears in her eyes and she couldn't see a thing, but then arms were around her, lifting her up, and she twined her own around a strong neck, holding on for dear life as her blurred world titled and shifted.

Gajeel moved into the hollow in the mountainside, carrying her with him, before edging inside. It was barely enough space for one, let alone two, but they made it work without too much effort. Sliding down, back against the rock with her snug between his chest and his raised knees, he motioned for her to be silent. There were no sounds from the forest outside but the quietly running river, but Levy almost didn't dare breathe, even if her lungs were screaming for air. Her head pounded against her skull and the adrenaline in her system had her heart running rampant against her ribcage. Beneath her, Gajeel was warm and dry, and her head rose softly with the steady rise and fall of his chest; the remnants of their narrow flight showing their signs in the way he gripped her shoulders rather than his heart-rate.

A lone cry in the far distance finally broke the silence, and the shape beneath her tensed. When nothing followed, he allowed himself to relax, and finally Levy let out the breath she'd been holding, sagging against him as relief coursed through her.

They stayed that way as silence fell back over the forest and the sun dipped low towards the edge of the forest in the distance. Moving by nightfall wouldn't be easy, but it would be safer, but for a few blessed moments they remained where they were.

"You okay?"

His voice was a deep rumble beneath her ear, and she nodded. Her head felt like lead. "Yeah. Bit tired."

"...you're a damn stubborn woman. Ya know that?"

That made her smile, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. "Yeah."

He sighed, and her head rose and fell with the movement. "I can't guarantee I'll come back," he said then, after a lull, his words heavy and his voice dark.

She shook her head. "I don't need a guarantee that you will. Just that you'll _try_."

He snorted against her hair. "That's a given, Shorty."

She was silent a moment. "How do we survive this?" she asked then, voice a hoarse whisper. The adrenaline was slowly wearing off, and with it, the fears came crawling back. The memories of the shrill cries and the fire and _destruction_ that had laid the world they'd known in ruins; that had scattered them all across the expanse of Fiore. It hadn't been _total_ annihilation; they had seen to that the moment they had learned of the impending attack. They hadn't been able to stop it, because they hadn't had the time needed for them to figure out _how_. Instead they had prepared for the worst, and survived.

But the world they'd woken up to when the sun had risen on July 8...

"We keep going forward," he said then, voice gruff against her hair.

"And what if there's nothing there?" she asked then, an edge of grief slipping into her tone. The future – _any_ future, was hard to imagine with the present they were living in.

The arms around her tightened. "Then we make it ourselves."

She shifted her head until she could look up at him. And when he quirked a smile, she felt some of the confidence she had lost come seeping back. Resting his forehead against the top of her head, Gajeel breathed. "We'll build it from scratch. We've done it before."

A wry smile tugged at her lips. "That was a guild, not a country." Not the _world._

She felt his grin against the crown of her head. "One time's gotta be the first," he grumbled, and for some reason, she felt laughter bubble up within her. Laughter, because it was _Gajeel_ telling her these things. For all his complaints about Fairy Tail's preaching, Gajeel Redfox was trying to make her believe they could rebuild the world. Because they were Fairy Tail.

She felt slightly hysterical, but it also felt _good_. In her weeks underground, recovering after the attack on the capitol, she'd breathed and eaten and slept, but she hadn't felt like this – hadn't felt _alive – _since before the attack. But now, perched on the precipice of death and staring oblivion right in the eye, Levy finally felt like the breath in her lungs amounted to something. She wasn't just existing. She was living. Fighting.

_Surviving_.

"You'll come back to me," she said then, against the skin of his throat. "That's not a _suggestion_, Gajeel," she repeated his words back to him.

His amusement was a rumble against her ear. "Handing out orders now?"

"You're damn right I am."

He smirked against her hair. "Well I ain't gonna argue with that."

The sun dipped down behind the treetops, and night crawled slowly across the valley until it was fully shrouded in darkness. When they finally came out of their hiding place, Levy's clothes had almost dried, but her legs were shaking from sitting still and her muscles screamed in protest to her movements. He didn't offer to carry her, but then she hadn't expected him to, but he kept their pace comfortable and stayed close as they walked. Overhead, the forest was silent, devoid of even the noises of nocturnal animals. Not a hoot or a scutter in the bushes – even the wind was quiet, and the forest rested like a tangible weight over their heads.

It wasn't because she was scared that she reached for his hand, fingers winding around it where it hung at his side. She was beyond fear now. There was no room for it in the future she was walking to. Though Haven was a sanctuary – a shelter – it was also a base of operations. She was joining the war, not running from it. Her trek across the lush valleys of their ravaged world had made her realise what she was living for; that she was, indeed, _living_.

No, she grasped his hand because it had been one of the things she'd always wanted to do, in a past where waking up to a new day had been self-evident, and their lives had revolved around the odd job and a good party. Her past self had been able to afford restraining herself from acting on her desires. But her present self had seen the fires of hell and survived. And she was still surviving, picking her way through the still cooling ashes of the new world. She wasn't just making a stand; she was making a _choice._

And as his fingers tightened around hers in return, she knew she had made the right one.

* * *

His subsequent departure was tough on the both of them.

"Be careful," she said, as he shifted his duffel across his shoulder. Dawn had yet to break across the valley, but most of the shelter's occupants were awake. Sleep came easy for no one these dark days.

"You're certain you have what you need?" Erza asked from beside her, arms crossed over her armoured chest. From beside her, Jellal stood; a silent pillar in the shadow of the mountain. Haven was under their authority, and they bore the responsibility well, though Levy could tell Erza wished she was going south with Gajeel.

But she also knew that if faced with the choice of staying to protect the shelter and going south to hunt and help with the new settlements, Erza's answer was a given.

Gajeel threw a look towards the ever brightening horizon. "Should be good 'til I get there. Lily should have some provisions," he said, before turning his sharp gaze back to her.

She nodded. "Give Natsu and Lucy our regards."

He smirked. "Aa."

At the mention of her best friend's name, Levy pulled forth from her bag a tattered folder, before holding it out towards him. "Would you give this to Lu-chan for me?" she asked, and when his eyes searched the charred cover, she explained, "It's the drafts of her novel. Fried found it in the guild when they looted it."

Gajeel didn't say anything as he accepted the portfolio, this relic of their old life, and with a care she'd never before seen him display to any kind of material object, he slipped it into the confines of his bag.

"It would be a shame if she doesn't get it," Levy said then. "So you get it to her, yeah? In one piece."

He smirked at that, catching the double-meaning, and nodded. Then he leaned forward, splaying his hand across the top of her head as his warm breath fanned against her forehead.

"See ya later, Shorty," he muttered against the scar, mouth brushing against the jagged tissue, before giving her hair a fond ruffle. When he pulled his hand away, his fingers lingered against her jaw, before he shoved it into the pocket of his trousers.

Erza smiled. "Good luck out there, Gajeel."

He raised his hand in a silent salute, but his eyes lingered on Levy, until he turned towards the forest and his destination in the far distance. In the shadow of the mountain, Levy remained, watching silently as his shape slowly vanished into the trees, until he was out of sight. She didn't make an immediate move to retreat inside, though, and neither did Erza or Jellal.

From behind them, the sun finally surfaced above the towering peaks of the mountain range, filling the valley with the light of morning. From weeks spent in the dark underground, Levy should have revelled in the simple pleasure of finally standing beneath it, basking in its sustaining light, but as her eyes rested on the edge of the forest, willing the dark shape to come walking back out, she found she had little interest in the blazing star. She could live without sunlight, if she had to. She'd fight their battle from within the confines of their sanctuary, developing the protection needed to counter the beasts that now ruled the skies. She would live, and fight, and survive. She only prayed that Gajeel would do the same.

Because an eternity in the dark couldn't measure up to the thought of an existence without him.

* * *

AN: This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but I'm enjoying the idea so much I'm making it into a fully fledged story, although I think I'll wait until I've finished Hard Liquor. Let me know what you think?


	2. from the darkness

AN: HAH, did I say I'd wait until Hard Liquor was done? I guess I did, but then I sit on a throne of lies, so you shouldn't be surprised. I don't know what to say other than that my inspiration grabbed me and wouldn't let go, so I threw this in for an extra treat for you this week.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters – Hiro Mashima does. Cover image by Rae.

* * *

"I'll do it."

Several pairs of eyes turned towards her in surprise as the words left her mouth; ringing loud and clear across the cavern-like room. The lit torches on the walls flickered softly in the dark, and cast a warm glow over the heads of the people gathered. The room had gone silent as a tomb at her declaration, but despite her sudden thrust into the limelight, Levy held her stance; shoulders squared and chin lifted high. Her words hadn't been a mistake. She'd meant them, and she wasn't taking them back.

"Levy..." Erza was the first to break the stunned silence, but she didn't say anything else. At the head of the large stone table, on which several maps of Fiore lay spread out, she watched with the furrowed set to her brows that seemed to be a permanent feature on her face most days. Her dark eyes looked troubled, but Levy met them unflinchingly with her own from her side of the table.

"I'll do it," she repeated then, when no one else spoke. Placing her hands down onto the table, she brushed her fingers against the map nearest to herself, over the elegant scrawl that marked the location of Blue Pegasus' old guild. The map was torn in several places – a testament of the fate it had suffered before they'd gotten their hands on it, but it was a beautiful overview of their beloved homeland. Delicately penned and with more details than the crude renditions – some of their own making – that lay beneath and above it, it looked more like a piece of art than a map.

Levy drew in a deep breath, before releasing it. Lifting her gaze, she met Erza's again. "I'll retrieve the scrolls."

A quiet murmur broke out around her, and she let her eyes travel amongst those gathered at the meeting. A blend of her old guildmates, Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale. Formerly of different guilds, but now gathered under the banner of survival. They were mages of Fiore first and foremost, Haven's residents and protectors second. That was all that mattered – the individual guild emblems were but pretty reminders of the life they were fighting to bring back. The fight she'd made her choice to join, weeks ago.

Most of those gathered at the summit were watching her; some in surprise at her daring suggestion, while others looked more wary than anything. Not everyone had been on retrieval missions – to loot the towns and guilds that had once been theirs but that now lay in ruins across the country. Those that had been knew the risks – knew what awaited whatever party left the safety of a sanctuary for the unforgiving scrutiny of the open skies. They were missions promising defeat rather than success, but that didn't make them any less necessary. They went beyond S-class, too, but then the ranking system of the past had no meaning in their perilous present, where even stepping outside for fresh air was a risk.

Levy didn't know what it was like. Other than her trek across the country from Refuge to Haven with Gajeel, she had spent almost all her time in the underground caves or beneath the shelter of the mountain. She'd become used to the safety of a roof over her head; the heavy stones of Haven keeping them cut off from the dangers of the eyes of the sky. She didn't know what it was like, travelling for days and days with the knowledge that any minute could be her last. She'd had a taste of it, and it hadn't exactly made her eager to repeat the experience.

But her reluctance didn't erase the fact that she was needed on this mission, whether anyone liked it or not.

No one seemed eager to break the silence that had settled once again, and Levy sighed. They all knew that this was how it had to be, but if she had to say it out loud to drive the truth home, so be it. "Someone needs to go that can decipher the scrolls there, so we know they're the ones we need and don't end up brining back things we can't use; the mission is too dangerous to make mistakes. And the guild is bound to have a lot of scriptures, but without someone who can properly read them, you'll spend days just going through them all. And Fried is needed _here_ to keep the force field up – he can't go. That leaves _me_. And I am willing to go."

"Fried is not the only rune mage valued in this shelter, Levy," Erza said then. "The barriers aren't solely _his_ doing; they are yours just as much." She turned her eyes back to the maps before her, hands tightening where they gripped the edge of the table. She sighed. "But you are right – one of you must go with the retrieval party."

"And I'm prepared to do it."

Erza looked at her for a long moment, as though turning the decision over in her mind, but she knew just as well as Levy did what choice had to be made. Even if she'd helped with the shields, they were Fried's speciality, and losing him would be fatal to Haven. Levy had to be the one to go; in this dilemma she was necessary as well as expendable. An unfortunate paradox, but there wasn't anything she could do about that.

Finally, Erza nodded, a rueful smile tugging at her lips. "Very well. That makes one. But who will go with her?" she asked, gaze shifting between the people gathered around the table. Levy knew Erza well enough to know that she wanted nothing more than to go herself, just like with every retrieval mission they had issued so far. But she also knew Erza well enough to know that she knew her place, and that was in Haven, making sure those who lived there were safe.

"I will," Laxus spoke up then, from where he was leaning against the wall by the door. Pushing away from it, he walked towards the table, eyes on the redhead. "You'll need a dragonslayer, with what's waiting out there. And I've travelled this region enough to know my way around."

Jellal hummed low in his throat. "A valid point, although you're currently the only dragonslayer stationed here. Sending you off might prove perilous for those who remain."

"Not necessarily."

Levy turned her head to regard Cana, who had spoken. "Got word this mornin' that shadow boy is on his way," she drawled, shifting her weight to her hip as she leaned against the table.

"Rogue Cheney?" Jellal asked, brows raising. "I was led to believe he was going south with the others."

Cana shrugged. "Messenger wasn't very specific; said they'd divided their forces to make it more even between the shelters. We've already got Gajeel and Natsu going south, and kiddo's in Refuge. One more dragonslayer here won't do any harm, considering how many people live here compared to the others shelters."

Erza nodded. "Then Laxus will go with Levy. Who else?"

Cana smirked, lifting a hand to run it through her hair. "Well, can't send a girl off on her own with Mr. Talkative over there; she'll bore herself silly." Meeting Levy's gaze, she winked. "I'll go with 'em."

Erza nodded, turning to Ichiya beside her, uncharacteristically silent as he surveyed the maps before him. Sensing her eyes on him, he looked up. "We should avoid sending too big a party," Erza said. "Four will do. Now we only need one who knows where the scrolls are located within the guild."

Hibiki raised a hand from further down the table. "I know where they are, and I can use my magic to transfer whatever we find between us," he declared, a determined set to his brows. His companions beside him remained silent, but their eyes were dark and downcast, and Levy's eyes softened as she noticed the grip Jenny had on his hand where it hung at his side. No doubt they'd known he'd volunteer when Erza had first brought it up.

"Then that settles it," Erza said, raising her gaze and meeting Levy's from across the table, before letting it travel amongst those gathered. "Levy, Laxus, Cana and Hibiki. The four of you will go east at daybreak tomorrow; with luck you'll reach the guild in two days. Levy, your job will be to decipher the scrolls on the scene, and then bring back those Fried requested and whichever ones you deem important. The rest of you will make sure her work is not hindered."

Levy nodded, and the action was echoed by the others. Cana met her gaze across the table, and sent her another wink for good measure, to which she returned a tentative smile. Erza inhaled deeply as she pulled back from the table, letting her hands rest heavily against the surface. Then, with a determined light rekindling in her eyes, she raised her head.

"I don't need to remind any of you of the danger that awaits you outside. If you encounter a dragon, Laxus will assess whether or not you are capable of taking it out together. If you encounter more than one, you _run_. You will not split up before you reach your destination, and then only if you are within hearing distance of each other, or if it is crucial for your survival. You are hereby a team, and will support each other when needed. However, I will not demand you die together. If you can escape, then do it. Your circumstances will no doubt decide the best course of action. I'll expect you back in a week; if I hear nothing, we will assume the worst. In the event of this, there will not be dispatched a team to search for you." Levy saw the skin around her eyes tighten at the last remark, and knew how much it hurt her to say it. She also knew that Erza would no doubt like nothing more than to go out herself if they didn't come back, but the responsibility on her shoulders and the lives of all those who lived in Haven did not allow for the rescue of four mages, no matter how dear. They all knew this; not just those who had accepted the mission, but also those who would be left behind to wait.

It was a burden for them all to carry.

"Have I made myself clear?" Erza asked then, after a heavy lull. Her question left no room for argument, and a ripple of brusque nods was her answer. She returned the gestures with a nod of her own. "This meeting is adjourned," she said then. "Prepare for your journey, and make whatever arrangements you need. You leave at daybreak." Then she turned to stride out of the room, and Jellal followed at her heels, their voices too low for Levy to hear as her eyes followed them out of the room.

She inhaled deeply, unclenching her trembling fingers where her they hung rigid at her sides. Her heart was racing a mile a minute, and she was certain Laxus could hear it from across the room, but he only offered her a undecipherable nod as he turned to follow the others. She shook her head to settle her nerves, before following suit.

On her way out, Cana caught up with her. "Heya, girlie. Ready for an adventure?"

She shook her head. "No. Are you?"

Cana smirked. "Nah. I ain't no dragon killer, but staying cooped up in here's making me loony. I need some fresh air."

"Fresh air has got quite a high price these days."

Cana snorted. "Yeah, well, you know what they say – if you're willing to pay..."

Levy smiled as they walked together down the curving corridor. "What would Gildarts say if he knew you were going outside?"

Cana barked a laugh. "What, Pops? The old geezer who's been chasing dragons for the past few decades? Please. Don't think he'll be surprised – hell, might even be proud, the weirdo. If he throws a fit though, he's one helluva hypocrite."

"You're worried about him."

Cana snorted, but averted her gaze to the sloping staircase looming at the end of the corridor. "Yeah, well. Haven't heard a word in six months. But then that's his way, I guess." She shot Levy a sidelong look. "How 'bout you, doll? Heard anythin' from yer man?"

Levy tried to force a smile on her face, but gave up. "Not since he left. But he can take care of himself." That was the mantra she'd been clinging to for the past three months since his departure, but it did little to ease the worry that wore at her heart more and more with every passing day.

"Aye, he can. They all can – those who went south."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Averting her gaze to the floor, Levy felt her pace grind to a halt as an image flashed before her eyes – a bright smile framed by golden hair. She hadn't seen Lucy since the start of everything. Or the end, if she was being cynical. Was she even alive? Were any of them alive? Sending messengers was hard; only a few people dared to run between the shelters, so any word about what was going on in the other sanctuaries was rare. Juvia had sent a messenger from Refuge two days ago, and things were going well there. The same went for Haven's sister-shelter on the other side of the mountains.

But as for those who'd gone south...

Cana gave her shoulder a rough slap that nearly sent her stumbling, and Levy choked as the breath was knocked clean from her lungs. "C'mon! That's enough worryin' for a lifetime – _sheesh_, we've got worse things to be concerned about. Big, hulking, _winged_ things, to be more specific. You gonna run from drakes with that sad look on yer face? Hate ta break it to ya, girlie, but I don't think you'll get much sympathy thereabouts."

And despite the direction her thoughts had taken, Levy couldn't keep the laugh from bubbling forth. "What, have you tried?" she teased, feeling her spirits lift a bit at Cana's easy attitude.

The brunette grinned. "Nah, but I'm bettin' if anything could do it, it'd be _those_ eyes," she said, giving Levy's forehead a playful poke, and she was momentarily reminded of Gajeel. She grasped onto the feeling greedily, lest it slip from her memory. She returned Cana's smile, and allowed her eyes to linger on the bright eyes of the rowdy mage. There were no shadows behind them, as was the case with many of the others.

"How do you do it?" she asked then, as they began up the stairs towards the part of the shelter that housed most of its residents. The living quarters weren't much in the way of luxury, but they'd done what they could to make them as hospitable as possible. For the children, if anything.

Cana quirked a curious brow. "Do what? Keep up my smashing appearance with such limited resources? It's all natural, baby." She grinned at Levy. "Nah, I know what you mean. I guess if we all went moody and depressed nothing would ever get done. And it's not in the Fairy Tail spirit, y'know? I know we're not separated into guilds anymore, but it ain't something that just goes away. The mark is in here," she patted her chest, just above her heart, "not just on yer skin. And whoever heard of a Fairy Tail mage giving up, anyway?" She snorted. "Give me some credit, dollface."

Levy shook her head, unable to keep the smile off her face, despite the dark thoughts lingering at the back of her mind. "I'm glad you're coming along," she said then.

Cana laughed. "Of course you are!" she declared, throwing an arm around Levy's shoulders as they continued their trek up the stairs. "Like I said; you'd be bored out of yer _mind_ with only Laxus fer company. He ain't one for smalltalk, lemme tell ya. Not that pretty boy's any better, the perv! Oh, but do I have some _stories_ to tell ya! Ya know when we first split up, months and months ago, and there wasn't _that_ many girls in this place before it expanded..."

Levy only grinned as she listened, and for the moment pushed all thoughts about the mission to the back of her mind. For now, she would be content to listen to Cana's easy chatter. It was a relic of their old life that she hadn't thought she'd missed, but now that she listened to the outrageous stories spilling from the brunette's lips, she felt a refreshing hope rekindle in the pit of her stomach. _This_ was what they were fighting for – this sense of normalcy that had been ripped from them when their world and everything they knew had been turned on its head. This was why they were struggling to survive; this remnant of a treasured peace that seemed more like a dream each day that passed with the turning of a sun they rarely ever saw. And for this, she would leave the sheltered walls that kept her safe.

Even if it meant risking her life.

* * *

It took them three days to reach the ruins of Blue Pegasus.

They had known, of course, upon setting out from Haven, that Erza's estimation had been wishful thinking. The forests and grasslands covering the region between the shelter and the former guild was infested with dragons who'd made the looming mountains spanning the length of their journey their nesting grounds. There hadn't been an hour without the shrilling shriek of a drake piercing the air, although they had made the journey undetected, thanks to Laxus. With a keener sense than the rest of them, he had guided them towards the guild with Hibiki's directions, but to avoid any encounters they had been forced to take more than one detour, stopping only when absolutely necessary and making camp only once, in an old abandoned cave much too close to the nesting grounds for Levy's comfort. But Laxus had deemed it safe, and they hadn't had any trouble, although she'd barely slept a wink. From there it had gone almost surprisingly smoothly – to the point where she'd been certain a dragon was about to leap down at them at every turn of the path. It had almost driven her mad; the paranoia that had settled in her mind. And she knew it had been the same for the others – at least for Cana and Hibiki. It was hard to tell with Laxus, being so aloof even with death lurking at every corner.

But they had made it – all four of them, and unscathed. The first leg of their journey was over, and now the ruins of Blue Pegasus lay before them. And though it wasn't her guild, Levy shared Hibiki's sorrow as they gazed upon the decaying building. But it wasn't just a building. Any mage who had a shred of honour and love for their guild would agree to that. It had once been a home and a sanctuary – for many the only one they knew. Now, it was an empty shell of charred stone; the once great dome rising majestically on the second floor only a skeleton that looked ready to crumble to pieces any minute. The stained glass windows were all broken, and the staircase leading up to the main entrance was missing most of its steps. All over was the mark of their adversaries – deep fissures from the sharp claws of some, and the charred signatures of others.

Inhaling deeply, Levy placed a hand on Hibiki's arm, and he startled at the touch, before shooting her a brief smile. "Thank you," he murmured, and she smiled back – or tried to. It was hard, standing where they were. She hadn't been to Magnolia, but those that had were unwilling to speak about what they had seen, and that told her all she needed to know. More than she needed, even. She didn't even want think about the state of her old home, or her guild.

"The coast is clear," Laxus said from beside them then, nodding towards the building. "Let's move in while we've got the cover of darkness."

Nodding, Levy adjusted her bag about her shoulders and secured the hood of her jacket over her head, before following suit. Hibiki took the lead of their little procession, and Cana flanked it, leaving Levy in the middle along with the dragonslayer, who loomed at her side like a dark wall. Neither of them said anything as they approached the stairs, and at Hibiki's signal, they ascended still in silence. One of the front doors hung desolate to the side, torn halfway off its great hinges and leaving the way open for them. With Hibiki before them, they proceeded inside, until they were all gathered in what had once been the grand foyer. Some of the tension that had settled between them loosened a little – the sensation was almost palpable, and Levy breathed deeply, feeling as though a weight on her chest had suddenly loosened. It was a false sense of security, of course, offered by the partly concealing roof, and she tried not to feel too comfortable. Nothing was safe topside – if she forgot _that_, she was as good as dead. So she shook off the sense of comfort and steeled herself. Anything could lurk in the ruins of a guild where traces of magic were still strong in the air, and it didn't have to be dragons.

Hibiki turned around then, and she could see he was trying not to look too closely at the ravaged remains of his old home. "Most of our valuable scriptures and scrolls are located in the basement, but there are a handful upstairs, as well as some in the Master's office at this floor. We'll be within hearing range, so I propose we split up for this, as it will save us time. I'll take the Master's office." He looked at Laxus, who nodded towards the staircase leading upstairs.

"Cana can take the second floor. That leaves the basement to Levy, who's the most likely to know what she's looking for. I'll keep guard outside."

Cana looked at Levy. "You gonna be okay downstairs, girlie?"

Levy nodded. "Yes. I'll call if anything happens."

"That goes for everyone," Laxus added, as he moved towards the door. "Try to be done before daybreak – I'd like us to be back in the forest before the sun rises." And with that, he slipped back outside.

Levy turned to Hibiki. "Are there any spells on the doors downstairs?"

"There should be, but going by the state of the place, I don't think they withstood whatever attacked it." An edge crept into his voice at his words, and her eyes softened. She tried to smile.

"I'll try to salvage what I can," she said, hoping to convey more than her words would allow. _I know it's not just paper scrolls for you. I'll take whatever piece of your home that I can carry. _

He quirked a smile at that, and some of his usual good humour broke through the grief. He nodded. "I'll see you in a few hours, then. Call if you need my help for anything."

Levy nodded, turning to Cana, who gave her a grin and a wink. "Good luck, dollface. Let's hope the worst things that greets ya down there are rats and spiders."

"Thank you for the reassurance," Levy retorted dryly.

Cana merely grinned, waving a hand as she began her ascent to the second floor. "Yer welcome!"

Shaking her head, Levy drew a deep breath, before turning her attention to the stone staircase plunging into the darkness of the basement below.

_You've gotten this far; what could possibly be worse down there than what's outside? _

She began by picking her way down slowly, feeling around with her feet in case some of the stones were likely to fall out from beneath her. The steps curved downwards, but she couldn't see the bottom from where she was standing, and the further down she ventured, the darker it got. The basement wasn't underground, so what greeted her wasn't damp earthen walls but instead crumbling and charred stone rising on either side of her. Straining her eyes against the darkness, she fumbled for her pen, before writing a simple word. In an instant a small, dim light popped up before her, hovering beside her face and lighting her path enough for her to see where she placed her feet.

When she'd finally made it all the way down, she nudged the light a little higher so she could see her surroundings more clearly, and found that most of the furthest wall of the guild was missing – the stones seemingly torn out from the structure of the building. In its stead was a gaping hole of darkness leading outside, and Levy felt a shiver run up her spine, feeling uncomfortably exposed. Clenching her trembling fingers into fists, she turned her gaze away from the missing wall, and lifted her light up to take in the rest of the basement.

A doorway loomed at her immediate right, and venturing inside, she discovered a myriad of trinkets and strange objects on shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling. All guilds had their treasure troves, and she figured this had to be Blue Pegasus'. _Or what remains of it, _she thought as she backed out of the room. She was looking for scrolls, not trinkets, and it made her heart hurt looking at it; the collection gathered over the years by the members and Masters of Blue Pegasus.

_Don't think about it. Think about the scripts you're looking for. You're here for a reason, and it's not to reminisce._

The ground floor of the guild was even bigger than Fairy Tail's had been, and without the light she would have been completely lost. She had to venture quite far into the darkness to reach the door of the library, which wasn't so much a door as it was a missing wall. And as she held up her light this time she couldn't help the tremor of excitement that raced through her at the sight of the bookshelves covering the walls before her and to her left. It looked surprisingly undamaged, compared to the rest of the guild and the room with the treasures, and she suppressed a sound of joy as she bent to examine the nearest shelf. Rows of tomes and smaller books lined the space before her; dust-covered but otherwise intact, and her fingers itched as she reached for the nearest one. This was a trove of her preference; books on magic and spells gathered since Blue Pegasus' inception. It had to rival Fairy Tail's old library, she was sure, and felt an odd sense of regret that she wasn't looking at it in its former glory, when the room must have been quite a sight. She could have spent _hours_ just browsing–

Her thoughts halted, along with her excitement. The reminder that she didn't have much time struck her like a physical blow, and she sucked in a breath, feeling a little ashamed at her previous delight. It was neither the time nor the place for enjoyment, however long it had been since she'd been in a real library. Shaking her head to bring herself back into focus, she adjusted her light so it hovered at eye level, before she got down to business.

She had to have spent a good hour on the shelf before her, and she'd only found one scroll that looked like it might be useful, when the sound of a deep rumble suddenly rippled through the room, and she froze, hand halting against the spine of an old tome. Her breath and her heart had lodged in the base of her throat at the sound, because she didn't have to be an expert on the species to recognize it for what it was. She'd been so absorbed with the books she'd found, she hadn't even checked to see if the library was _empty_. The only light was the one hovering before her, and that only allowed her to see what was right in front of her face; the rest of the great room was shrouded in darkness, and considering the sheer height of the ceiling she shouldn't have been surprised a dragon had made the place its lair. Dragons hoarded, after all, and the library and the treasure room were full of trinkets to catch a drake's fancy.

_Don't breathe don't breathe don't breathe stay quiet and** don't breathe.** _

The fear that had caught hold of her was crippling, but instead of bolting for the exit and screaming for the others, Levy remained completely still, crouched as she was in front of the lower compartment of the shelf before her. A cold sweat like no other had broken out across her back, and her hands shook so much she had to tuck them into her stomach to keep them still. In the silence she could now clearly pick out the steady, rumbling breaths of the beast somewhere behind her in the darkness, and she felt sick to her stomach with hysterical terror. Was this how she was supposed to go? Torn to pieces in a library? It was probably fitting, in a morbid way, that her inability to keep her focus in the presence of so many books should be the death of her. And the others above her, who wouldn't know what hit them because of her inattention.

And then there was Gajeel, who she'd never see again. What if he came back to Haven, to find her gone? Out on a fool's errand, because she wanted to be useful? Her lungs burned from holding her breath, and tears leaked down the sides of her face. She felt like sobbing, but stubbornly pushed back the urge. She'd come this far – she wouldn't just hand herself over on a platter. Like Cana had said – who'd ever heard of a Fairy Tail mage giving up, anyway?

As she tried to calm the heart hammering against her ribcage, realization suddenly struck her that it hadn't attacked yet. In fact, it hadn't done anything. She frowned, and then a thought crept into her mind, along with a surge of hope that crashed through her system so forcibly she almost choked on it. Maybe it was asleep, and hadn't detected her presence yet. Maybe she could get past it and warn the others without waking it.

_Please let it be asleep. Please let it be asleep. Please let it be asleep. _

Rising to her feet with the most care she could summon, trembling like a leaf and two seconds away from emptying her stomach all over the floor, Levy backed away slowly towards the gaping entrance of the room. Waving a trembling hand, the light vanished before her, shrouding her completely in darkness, and panic leaped against her with enough force to make her cry out, but she bit it back by biting down hard on her bottom lip. She could hear it so clearly now – how, _how had she missed it?_ The heavy breathing – the low rumbling like rolling thunder in the distance. _How_?

Clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle any unintentional sounds, she slowly turned around until she was facing the gaping exit, and her steps were measured and as quiet as she could make them against the stone floor as she walked. She felt the sweat that had broken out on her brow run down her face, mingling with her tears before pooling at her collar. If it wasn't asleep, it would have surely picked up the scent of fear and sweat and tears from a mile away. _Please be asleep. Please be asleep. Please be– _

"Not so fast, little one."

She nearly screamed at the sound – the booming voice that seemed to reverberate through the floor beneath her as well the very bones in her body. It caught in her throat instead, and she choked, clamping her eyes shut as she prepared for the worst–

–_little one? _Confusion pushed through her fear to the forefront of her mind. A dragon would never approach a human with the intent to communicate, let alone in the human tongue. Everything she had seen of the winged menaces governing the skies of Fiore had taught her that much. Were her ears deceiving her? She'd heard it _speak._

Instinct told her to run, but her curiosity thrummed within her, rooting her feet to the ground before she could make a break for the exit. With wary control, she shifted her weight, turning around slowly to where the voice had come from. And with a conviction she didn't even know she could summon, she lifted her pen to rekindle her light, making it brighter than before, and lifting it so she could get a better look at the creature that loomed before her in the darkness.

_Levy what are you doing this is a mistake this is a mistake are you crazy you'll get yourself killed why aren't you calling for __**help**__– _

The gasp that tore from her throat cut through the silence like a knife, and her whirlwind of thoughts screeched to a halt as recognition slammed against her like a physical wall. Dark scales gleamed in the dim glow of her fairy light, rippling sharp as edged blades along a curving tail and a ridged back. Keen eyes regarded her, bright even in the dark shadows that seemed to cling to the great hulking shape, and an amused rumble rolled through the creature, shaking the floor beneath her. And although she'd only heard his name in the occasional story, she didn't need more to know who she was looking at.

_It can't be– _

Her voice stuck in her throat as the words forced themselves out past her lips.

"_Metalicana?"_

* * *

AN: Are ya intrigued yet? Fufufu~


	3. the crown of the mountain

AN: Glad to see so many are enjoying the story so far! Personally, I love all the possibilities of post-apocalyptic, war-ravaged worlds, and I've got a lot of plans for this story now that I hope you'll like. After Hard Liquor wraps up, it's going to be my new big project, but for now updates will be a little sporadic.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters – Hiro Mashima does. Cover image by Rae.

* * *

"_Metalicana?!" _

Her voice didn't echo, stifled as it was in the suffocating cloak of darkness that covered the library, but with the keen hearing she had come to associate with the species, the old dragon would have heard her even if she'd whispered.

His answer was a low rumble that sent a tremor shooting up her spine. "You know who I am, though that is not surprising. He said you might." He sounded strangely amused.

Levy gaped up at the great hulking shape, unable to process what was happening. "Y-you–" she stopped, unable to even form the words, let alone make a coherent sentence.

The keen eyes regarding her from the shadows glimmered in the dim light. "Yes?"

She took a step back, and the fairy light followed her movements, bouncing a bit in the air, and the soft light was reflected in the gleaming dark scales of the towering creature before her. "Why are you _here_?" The barely discernible croak turned out to be her own voice – the words having tumbled out before she'd been able to check herself.

The shadows shifted when he moved his head; tilting it to the side, like some great night owl. "I might ask you the same question. Is this guild not abandoned?" There was a teasing lilt to his tone; as though he was being purposefully dense. Levy looked up at him – words on the tip of her tongue, but she stubbornly kept from escaping. He laughed. "Come now, little one – say what you wish to say."

She bit down on her lower lip, worrying it between her teeth, before drawing a breath. "Where have you been?"

And those hadn't been the words she'd meant to say at all, but they tumbled out regardless. She'd meant to ask something completely different – if he'd been waiting for them, or if their encounter had been a strange coincidence, but then the thought had finally settled that this was _Metalicana_. Gajeel's father – the only family she'd ever heard him speak of, and who had up and left him without a word along with all the other dragons. And somewhere deep in her heart lurked a righteous indignation that wasn't hers to carry, but that she carried regardless. A feeling of deep injustice, for the person who meant most to her, and who should be rightly standing in her shoes.

The great dragon breathed out through his nostrils, and the sudden onslaught of warm air almost knocked her off her feet. "That was not what you meant to ask," he said then. "And it is a question that requires an answer I cannot give at this moment."

"But–"

"You speak for my son, not for yourself."

Levy clamped her mouth shut, cheeks flaring with colour. "Perhaps."

The low rumble could have been a chuckle. "Interesting. He has had no one to fight for him before."

She squared her shoulders a little. "Well, he does now." _Has_ _had_, for a long time, but she wasn't about to tell Metalicana that. Although something about the eyes watching her told her he already knew, anyway. "Have you seen him?" she asked then, as the thought struck her that perhaps that was how he had found them, although how _Gajeel_ had found out about the mission–

"No."

She frowned. "Then–"

"At this point I do not have the luxury to seek him out," he cut her off, before she could voice her growing irritation.

"But you've sought _us_ out," she said, anger simmering in the pit of her stomach. "It's not a coincidence, you being here. Don't even try to convince me – you knew we were coming, and you were waiting for us. How did you know?"

There was that amused rumble again; like slow rolling thunder in the far distance. "You have good instincts, little one. And you are right – it is no coincidence. And as for how I knew..." he trailed off, and left it there, hovering between them in the darkness like her fairy light.

Levy bristled, feeling strangely patronized, and the light beside her flared a little. "Why are you here?" she asked. Her earlier fear was completely forgotten; replaced by a slowly burning anger that she couldn't quite control. "Why _now_? Where were you when we needed your help? Why haven't you done anything to stop the dragons? Wh–"

"Just because we have been laying low does not mean we have been _idle_," he cut her off, anger curling along the edge of his words, glowing hot like molten metal. Levy drew back, immediately aware of the danger when it flared up between them. Sensing her apprehension, Metalicana's eyes softened ever so slightly, and the swish of a great tail against the dusty floor sent a cloud of dust billowing up between them in the dim light.

"Then _what_ have you been–"

He was quick, and the words lodged themselves in her throat as a great, scaled muzzle came to rest immediately in front of her face, and she caught herself from stumbling back a step in surprise. "You ask a lot of questions," he growled, holding her gaze with his own. "He was not exaggerating the extent of your curiosity." There was a hint of secret humour there; like he was privy to some joke she wasn't, and her brows furrowed sharply. Having processed the words, her mind latched onto the one he'd mentioned before.

"Who is the 'he' you keep mentioning?" If it wasn't Gajeel, then who? Someone who knew her, by his words. Someone familiar with her curious nature, and who knew her well enough to know of her connection with Gajeel. Someone who would have known about their plans to retrieve the scrolls from Blue Pegasus. But who?

And most importantly – _how_?

"More questions. Can your human mind manage them all?"

She huffed. "Well if you'd give me some _answers_–"

"_Patience_, little one."

She opened her mouth to retaliate, forgetting that she was arguing with a _dragon_ and that she should by rights have made a break for it or called for the others, when footsteps on the staircase leading down to the basement cut through the dusty darkness.

"Oye, girlie! Ya need any help down there? Wasn't much luck upstairs – place's been turned on its head. Man, lemme tell ya, this joint is givin' me the creeps! It's so bloody _dark_, who knows what's hiding in the–"

The low, dark chuckle that tore through the silence cut her off mid-sentence, but Levy didn't have the chance to speak up before Cana's alarmed holler rang through the guild, having by now caught sight of the great tell-tale shape of a dragon in the glow of Levy's light.

"DRAGON! O-oye, **_Laxus_**!"

"That would be our cue to go," the dragon before her mused, and before Levy had a chance to ask what exactly he meant by 'our', the great tail that had been curled around him fanned out, swiping her feet from beneath her and dropping her rather unceremoniously on her back in one fell swoop. The shock of the impact shattered her concentration, snuffing out her light in the process, and her surprised shout cut through the shadows, along with a sharp hiss of pain.

"**_Levy_**!"

If she hadn't been quite so dazed she would have called out to Cana that there wasn't anything to fear and that she wasn't in the process of being mauled, but she hardly had time to catch the breath that had been knocked clean out of her before Metalicana rose from his relaxed pose, and a strangled sound caught in the back of her throat when a pair of claws came down on either side of her, effectively fencing her in.

"Hold on tight," came the low chuckle, and then something _yanked_ at her, and the world tilted as she was suddenly and violently pulled out of the hole in the library wall and into the sharp sting of the open air. Nausea exploded within her as, with a great beat of his enormous wings that had her chest compressing painfully, Metalicana pushed away from the ground, and tears sprang to her eyes as the world spun until she couldn't tell the sky from the forest floor. She vaguely heard Cana hollering in the distance, and then the crackle of lightening that signalled that Laxus had caught up, but it was too late.

She was sure her ear-deafening shriek could be heard across the entire expanse of Fiore, but instead of a rough demand for her to keep her mouth shut, what reached her ears through the surge of wind that threatened to tear through her eardrums and the skin of her cheeks was the booming resonance of a dragon's hearty laughter.

* * *

She was certain she must have passed out sometime after their rough take-off, because when she came to, the sun had risen and they were flying low over a sprawling mountain-range with snow-capped peaks rising into the pale morning sky.

The realization that she was _flying_ came a bit slower than it should have, and once it hit her, plain, hard survival-instinct kicked her stiff shape into overdrive and she lashed out, panic surging within her–

–only to realize she was quite snugly clutched between a set of claws.

"Relax," the booming voice reached her ears, though it did little to soothe the raging adrenaline that was hammering in her veins. Her entire body shook with it, and she stared numbly down at the jagged mountaintops with her heart stuck in her throat.

"And you were so _talkative_ earlier," the voice spoke again, amusement colouring it. But Levy couldn't make a single sound; couldn't find her voice, or move so much as a finger. Fear choked her until she couldn't breathe, and the howling wind pushed against her ears until she felt like throwing up.

"We're almost there."

She wanted to ask where 'there' was. Where was he taking her? _Why_ had he taken her? And why hadn't he _asked_ first? Or let her explain to the others what was going on, instead of, for all intents and purposes, making it seem like he'd taken her away to _devour_ her? She didn't even want to think about what news the others would take back with them to Haven. She'd gone to such trouble making herself out to be the best choice for the retrieval mission, and she hadn't even been able to share her findings; she, who'd had the most important job. Instead she was being taken away to some unknown place, by a secretive dragon with questionable intentions.

Question after question tumbled about in her already muddled mind, but she couldn't for the life of her force them past her lips. Instead she let herself be carried away, and tried not to look down at the deadly drop that beckoned her gaze where it lay beneath them. Clamping her eyes shut, Levy was rigid in the grip that held her, and tears leaked from her closed lids to run unhindered down her cheeks. She tried controlling her breathing, but with the steadily rising panic threatening to undo her, it was a challenge just keeping her mind on breathing at all, let alone how.

She didn't know how long he kept going or if she'd passed out again somewhere along the journey, but the next thing she knew, he'd begun a slow descent towards the mountains, and her heart hammered against her ribcage as the harsh wind rushed by, pulling at her hair and cutting sharp and cold against her tear-stained cheeks. When he touched down, the tremor that raced through his form shook her so violently she nearly emptied her stomach right there, but before she could she was moving again, her world tilting and spinning, and then the constraints keeping her in place loosened, and she tumbled out onto solid earthen ground.

Dizzy from the experience, she fell over on her side, and for a moment she just lay where she was, curled in a heap with her cheek pressed against the earth. Her hands shook and her body trembled, and she clamped her eyes shut against the bright sunlight overhead and the nausea rolling in her stomach.

A shadow fell over her then, blocking the sun, and then something large and warm pushed against her back. A puff of warm air fanned over her shivering form, and she curled in on herself. "Little one."

She didn't move – didn't so much as _twitch_, in hopes that he would leave her alone. Her head was still spinning and her stomach roiled with the promise of retribution and she just needed a _minute to think_–

"It figures you would scare our guest quite out of her senses. Did you perhaps forget that we specified getting her here in _one_ _piece;_ and that we meant her mind as well as her body?" came a warm dulcet tone from somewhere to her right, and Levy stiffened at the sound.

She heard Metalicana snort – the sound so eerily similar to Gajeel her heart leaped to life in her chest. "Don't pretend you could have handled it better, Deeney. And I was led to believe humans would do anything to fly – is it a fault of mine that this one deviates from the norm?"

There was a scoff. "_Your_ reckless flying would turn anyone off," came the smooth retort, before another puff of air fanned over her. "You can open your eyes now – you are quite safe."

Something about the voice had her obeying – the warm tones motherly, almost. Cracking open an eye with tentative care, Levy peeked up from beneath the arms covering her head. Two great shapes loomed above her, the light of the afternoon sun bright at their backs, and next to Metalicana's dark scales and metal-ridged back, the dragon beside him was a stark contrast; a slim, bird-like creature covered in pale, almost luminescent scales, save the head which was covered in soft fur, and from which a pair of deep-set eyes watched her curiously.

"Hello," the new dragon spoke, tilting her head, and Levy was again at a complete loss of words.

"She was full of hot air earlier," Metalicana quipped from beside the other dragon; his keen eyes shining with humour, and that snapped Levy out of her shock. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she fought back the nausea as her body raged against the sudden movement. Clapping a hand in front of her mouth, she drew a deep breath through her nose, before glaring up at the dark dragon. He grinned back at her; a set of sharp, gleaming teeth stretching into an almost human expression of smugness, and she was again vividly reminded of–

The rough slap of an elegant tail against his flank wiped the smile off his muzzle, and he turned to glare at the bird-like dragon. "_Oye_–"

"Don't be smug," she warned, a playful lilt to her tone, before turning her eyes back to Levy. "I am quite sorry you had to meet _him_ first – no doubt he didn't give you a thorough explanation as to why you have been summoned."

Levy blinked, and frowned. "Summoned?" she croaked, voice still hoarse from the screaming she'd done earlier.

The bird-dragon tilted her head, before shooting Metalicana a look. "You did not tell her she had been summoned?"

He smirked, and Levy felt that if he had been human, he would have shrugged. "The situation did not allow for an explanation," he said simply.

"So that's why you _kidnapped_ me? Because you didn't have time to ask if I wanted to come with you?" Levy asked, disbelief seeping into her voice.

The bird-dragon pushed her muzzle until it was very close to Metalicana's. "You took her against her _will_?"

"She did not say it was against her will," he countered, giving Levy a look. "Did you?"

Levy gaped. "You didn't even ask! What did you think I was _screaming_ for – _joy?_" she squeaked, and coughed, a little embarrassed at how highly pitched her tone had suddenly gone.

The bird-like dragon sighed – the sound and the accompanying expression one of familiar exasperation. "My apologies, little bird. You were meant to have been asked, not taken." She glared at Metalicana, who looked much to innocent.

"It was more fun the other way," he rumbled, and earned himself another whack across his flank with her tail.

The bird-dragon snorted, shaking her great head, before setting her deep eyes on Levy again. "I have not introduced myself yet," she said. "I am called Grandine – you will have met my daughter, in your guild."

Levy blinked, before the connection registered, and her brows flew up. "Wendy? You're Wendy's dragon?"

"Mother," she corrected fondly, and there was something in her tone that made Levy a little embarrassed she'd said something wrong, but Grandine didn't seem offended, only amused. "But yes, I am. And," she turned a sidelong look at Metalicana. "Should I assume you haven't introduced yourself, as you didn't even give her the courtesy of an explanation?"

He smirked, and the look he sent Levy conveyed an awareness that went beyond his words. "I did not have to. She recognized me."

Grandine's brow pulled down over her eyes in a likeness of a human frown. "But you have not shown yourself to humans in fourteen years," she said, before looking at Levy again, as though to determine her age. "She is young, yet. She cannot have recognized you."

Metalicana rumbled. "If not by sight, then by name. I have my ideas as to how she knew," he said, and left it at that, much to his companion's annoyance. Levy averted her gaze, and tried to keep the colour out of her cheeks. She knew what he was referring to, although how he could possibly know she was involved with Gajeel when he hadn't seen his son in fourteen years was a mystery. Like everything that had happened to her since she'd discovered him in the library of Blue Pegasus.

And that brought her mind back to an important fact she still had no answer to. "You said I'd been...summoned?" the word tasted strange on her tongue – foreign, almost.

Grandine seemed to perk up. "Ah, yes."

Levy looked between the two of them. "By who, exactly?"

Grandine smiled. "By the Queen."

"Queen? What Queen?"

They shared a look, before moving their long necks and turning their gazes to something behind them. And as they shifted their weights, they revealed to Levy a sight their great shapes had been keeping from her.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Grandine crooned. "_Our_ Queen," she said simply, and gestured with her graceful neck to the sight that lay before them. Levy took a few staggering steps forward, almost to the edge of the flat crag they were on, unable to believe her own eyes.

Deep, sloping vales sprawled below, coloured green and blue with thick woodland and curving rivers, rising sharply into jutting mountain peaks tipped with white that reached into the endless sky overhead. But what caught her attention wasn't the landscape – though she couldn't for the life of her tell where in the world they were. What caught and held her gaze was the slivers of colour in between the green and blue – serpentine shapes slipping in and out between the sharp cliffs and the crevices in the mountainsides. And in the soft afternoon air, the keening cries echoing in the valleys reached her ears, mingling together like birdsong in the spring. Dragons.

_A kingdom of dragons. _

"Would you look at that. Speechless again," came the low boom from beside her, coloured heavily with barely suppressed humour, and she snapped out of her reverie.

"What..." she shook her head, although she hadn't once removed her eyes from the landscape before her. "What is this?"

"This is our home," Grandine declared, the velvet of her voice soothing to Levy's frayed nerves. "It covers a great deal of land – what you see is just a small part of it. You will see further than this from the Aerie."

"The...Aerie?"

"The Queen's nest," Metalicana explained. "Where you have been summoned."

Grandine bent her neck low, the action as clear as could be, and Levy startled. "Um..."

Metalicana chuckled, and nudged her roughly, making her yelp and almost sending her sprawling. "Deeney flies like an old crone – you'll be safe enough," he quipped, and this time ducked out of the way of the tail aimed at his head. With a fanged grin, he beat his wings, and took off towards the skies, the sheer force of his movements sending Levy's hair flying about her face, and she staggered a little as the wind pushed towards her.

A wing was folded over her head then, covering her from the current, and she started. When she looked up, Grandine was smiling down at her. "Are you ready?"

She tried to smile. "I don't think I'll ever be, but I guess it can't get any worse than my trip over here..."

The dragon laughed, and leaned her head down again so that Levy could climb on, which she did with as much grace as she could muster, although it felt like climbing a jungle gym without anything to hold on to. And a moving, _breathing_ jungle gym, to boot.

Grandine chuckled at her fidgeting. "I am not delicate – please grab on. It would not do to have you fall from a height like the Aerie," she said, before adding with a touch of levity, "Not to mention, Metalicana would never let me live it down."

"Please don't joke about that," Levy pleaded with a dry laugh, knuckles turning white as she held on for dear life.

Grandine only laughed as she rose to her full height, and Levy bit down on her lip as the dragon beneath her surveyed the landscape stretching out before them. "Hold on," she warned, and took off with a mighty beat of her elegant wings.

Though her heart was quite firmly in the bottom of her throat, it wasn't nearly as terrifying as her flight with Metalicana, though she held on so tightly her fingers ached with the strain, and she didn't dare look down as Grandine took them higher than even Levy had thought possible. The crag they had been perched on earlier had been but a small outcrop in the wall of a mountain that rose so high she couldn't even see the top, even if she strained her neck.

"Up there lies the Aerie," came the voice from below her, rolling like a purr through the neck she was clinging to. Levy swallowed and nodded, having no idea what that piece of information entailed other than a meeting with a Queen. She had so many questions, that trying to organize them made her feel sick, and so she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and tried to focus on what lay immediately before her. There was a kingdom of dragons, to which she had been summoned for a meeting with the Queen, for reasons unknown. On top of that, she'd managed to find not only Gajeel's father, but Wendy's mother, although the dragonslayers themselves were left blissfully out of the loop.

She wondered idly if she'd perhaps fallen asleep in the Blue Pegasus library, and that it was her imagination taking her for one hell of a ride and not actual dragons. But the wind brushing sharp as a blade against her face and the blood pumping in her ears felt real enough. along with the soft fur gripped between her fingers and the steady rise and fall of the great shape beneath her. She felt like screaming, if only to make herself feel better, but stifled the urge. She didn't want to do anything to startle the dragon carrying her.

When they finally reached the top, at an altitude that made her head heavy and her lungs strain against the pressure, Metalicana was already waiting for them. Perched on a cliff jutting out from the mountainside, he regarded them with eyes dark and alert as Grandine came to land smoothly on the edge next to him. Leaning her head down, she let Levy slide off, and when her feet touched the solid rock, she fell to her knees, splaying her hands flat against the surface. Drawing a deep breath, she clenched her hands into fists, before raising herself up to a shaking stand, eyes widening as she took in the sight behind Metalicana's towering form.

A great stone arch, not carved by any human hand but looking more like it was shaped out of the mountain itself, curved above the tall dragon, and as she looked further up she saw that several similar entrances dotted the mountainside at different heights. If this was the Queen's dwelling, then it was by human standards the equivalent of a palace.

"Welcome to the Aerie," Grandine spoke up, and Levy snapped out of her amazement, to find both dragons looking at her. She drew a deep breath, and ran a hand through her hair roughly, before brushing her clammy fingers against her pants.

"This...is a lot to take in," she said then, after a lull, and Metalicana chuckled.

"I am afraid you will find only more discoveries within," he mused, turning his gaze to the archway. Levy rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

"Can we just...wait a moment? I just...I need to, I don't know, gather my wits a little. I think I lost them on the way over."

"Take all the time you need," Grandine said as she settled down beside her, and Levy could not mask the shuddering breath of relief that escaped her. Metalicana said nothing, but didn't move from where he sat, nor did he seem particularly impatient or in a hurry.

Turning around, Levy looked out across the land below. "This...I don't even know how to deal with this," she admitted, shaking her head. "Has this been here all along?"

Grandine hummed, the sound low in her throat. "Dragons have been around longer than humans, little bird. This has been our dwelling for many centuries."

Levy frowned. "But...why hasn't anyone found it?" How could an entire kingdom of dragons exist in Fiore – if they were still in Fiore, that was – without anyone knowing? Had the Council known? Had the King? Had anyone had even an inkling this existed beneath their noses?

The two dragons shared a look, and the exchange reminded Levy of two adults sharing in the amusement of a child's silly questions. It was Metalicana who spoke, at last. "Do you not think we could stay hidden from the eyes of humans, if we so wished?" Levy opened her mouth to reply, and then closed it, and Metalicana chuckled. "Humans are impatient creatures, and easily fooled. We have not been found because we have not wanted to be found."

"Then why reveal yourself now? And why to me? And _why_–"

"I wonder," Metalicana said to Grandine, "Perhaps the Lady has taken on more than she can carry with this youngling."

"Hey!"

He smirked. "You have had time enough to gather these 'wits' of yours, little one. Are you ready, or shall we remain here all day?"

She glared up at him, and squared her shoulders. "I see where he gets it from," she muttered to herself, and caught Metalicana's grin as she turned towards the archway. "So how does this work, then? Do I just go on in?"

Grandine came up beside her – her great shape dwarfing Levy by several feet, and when Metalicana stepped up on her other side, she felt quite small indeed in comparison. But neither of them moved, and when she looked up, Grandine nodded towards the entranceway. "After you."

And taking a deep breath, Levy stepped forward and through the archway, chin held high and shoulders squared.

"Oh..._wow_."

She tried not to gape too much as she entered what could only be described as a cavern, although it rivalled anything they had been able to carve so far in the mountain shelters of Haven and Harbour, and the sheer height of the ceiling had her feeling dizzy just by looking at it. Again, nothing around her showed the mark of human hands, although if asked she wouldn't have been able to even guess what could have carved the curving corridor, where the walls looked as smooth as the surface of river-stones.

But regardless of her awe, her thoughts came to a staggering halt as she reached the end of the cavern-like corridor, and she stopped dead in her tracks as she took in the sight before her.

If the dipping valleys of the landscape outside had been a shock, she didn't even know how to describe the sheer size and splendour of the cave that rose before her. Like the corridor she had just passed through, the walls were smooth and shaped in the wave-like texture of naturally eroded stone, but where the entranceway had been naked and devoid of anything that shared any resemblance to human décor, the cavern she was in now looked every inch the throne room it would have been for a human queen. The stone floor and the walls seemed to shift from one colour to another, going from deep, dark purple to silvery grey, and down the length of the chamber rose six pillars of stone into the ceiling high overhead; each column uniquely carved and standing so far apart they could fit several dragons of Metalicana's size between each. Through cracks and crevices in the walls and the ceiling overhead, golden slivers of sunlight poured inside, casting the room in a warm glow, and further enhancing the different colours of the stone.

Levy's eyes followed the path as it cut between the pillars, until they came to rest on the shape perched at the far end of the room, resting leisurely on a smooth crag sticking up from the stone floor. Unabashed, she stared, quite unable to move, and mesmerized by the eyes holding hers from across the expanse of the chamber.

A sharp nudge at her back broke the gaze, and she stumbled forward. She heard Metalicana rumble behind her. "She is waiting."

Swallowing heavily, Levy started walking again, and as she did, she became aware of the other dragons in the chamber, some perched on crags similar to the Queen at the far end of the room, and some sitting in deep fissures in the walls rising on either side. The reality of her situation settled, heavy like dread upon her heart, when she realized she was walking into a dragon's nest without any way out or down from the mountain. If they turned on her, she was doomed. Cold, hard fear leaped against her, but she forced it down, and kept her gaze on the floor before her, hands clenching into fists at her sides as she walked resolutely forward.

This had not been part of her job description, the wry thought popped into her mind – the voice sounding very much like Gajeel's, and she had an almost morbid urge to burst into hysterical laughter, but stifled it before any sound could leave her lips. At her back, Metalicana and Grandine followed in her wake, silent pillars of their own right and only further emphasising the sheer _size_ of everything around her.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of walking, Levy stopped between the two furthermost pillars in the room, and with a deep breath she raised her eyes from where they had been focused intently on the shifting colours of the stone floor. Before her, the Queen regarded her with a strange dragon-smile; her dark eyes gleaming with the secrets of centuries.

"Levy McGarden," she said, silken voice almost like a purr. "Welcome."

Levy only swallowed, and couldn't for the life of her summon so much as a squeak. Like most dragons she had encountered, the Queen carried with her like a mantle a presence that demanded respect, but coupled with the overwhelming sense of being the only human in a nest full of dragons; Levy couldn't even summon her manners.

The Queen tilted her head, seemingly unperturbed by the speechless human before her. "I shall not bore you with pleasantries. You must be very curious as to why I have called you here."

Levy nodded, the movement deliberate and calm despite the frantic heartbeat she knew every dragon in the room could hear. "Yes," she managed.

She heard Metalicana snort behind her. "'Yes', she says. A few minutes ago she was bursting with questions."

Levy bristled, and was almost about to turn around and snap at him when the Queen startled her quite of her socks by bursting into laughter. "Ah, yes. I have heard much of your curiosity, Levy McGarden," she said, warm eyes smiling, and Levy felt something within her loosen its grip, and some of the apprehension drained away.

Then a thought struck her, and she frowned. "Wait, what? Who've told you–"

Her voice lodged itself quite firmly in her throat as the Queen wordlessly lifted her tail from where it was draped across the stone floor, revealing a familiar, knowing smile and a pair of warm eyes crinkling at the corners.

"It is good to see you, Levy my dear."

She made a noise at the back of her throat – a strangled sort of sound, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry or tear at her hair and scream until she was hoarse. Frankly, what she wanted most of all was to bolt across the space between her and the Queen, and throw her arms around the small shape standing beside her; a picture of unyielding strength despite his small size, as he had been for as long as she had known him. Because the last Levy had seen of Makarov had been when he'd pushed her away from the swooping claws of a dragon during the battle of the capitol.

Taking a killing blow meant for her.

* * *

AN: Because I'm too bloody fond of Makarov to kill him without killing my own heart. In this AU I'll unravel bits and pieces of the backstory as the story itself unfolds, so if you're curious as to what certain people are doing/if they are even alive, you're going to have to wait and see, fufu. This is to emphasise the fact that not even the remaining members of Fairy Tail know where all of their guildmates are. (It's also partly because I have a shameless love for writing suspense~)


	4. kinship in unlikely places

AN: Thank you, Rae, for letting me bounce ideas off you; sometimes my mind needs an outlet, or I'd just go crazy. Also, credit goes to Cassie/Yaushibee for the theory behind the origins of the dragonslayers that I've weaved into this story.

**Warning**: This is an AU, so I will take my share of artistic liberties without shame, regardless of what happens in the manga.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters – Hiro Mashima does. Cover image by Rae.

* * *

"Master!"

As if the cavernous palace of dragons hadn't been more than enough, the sight of her guildmaster was almost enough to tip her off the perilous edge she was treading with regards to her sanity. But there was no escaping the sight of him before her; it wasn't an apparition, as far as she could tell, although she couldn't for the life of her believe what her eyes were telling her.

She'd seen him _die_. She'd watched him fall to one of the attacking dragons in the chaos that had been the capitol city on July 7th. Gajeel had physically hauled her away even while she'd been screaming to be released, because he'd taken the hit _for_ _her_. It had been like the battle on Tenrou all over again; running away while their Master cleared the way for them.

Except it had been nothing like their encounter with Acnologia, where they had prevailed through sheer belief and will alone. The minute the army of dragons had descended on the city and the celebration of the end of the games, it had become something entirely different. There had been no going back for their Master, because it hadn't been about showing solidarity as a guild. It hadn't been about stubborn children refusing to leave their superior behind. It had been about making it out alive; the ones who could, at least. From the very second the dragons had unleashed their wrath on the city, they had all known. Even Erza, who would in any other situation have remained alongside Makarov, had assumed her new role without even pausing to think, gathering whoever she could and making sure they got away from the crumbling ruins of the burning capitol. Levy had been amongst the fortunate.

Others hadn't been so lucky.

They'd grieved them, in the aftermath. Their Master, their fellow guildmates, and many of the friends they had made during the games. Once the dust had settled and the sun had risen on the following day and they'd tended to their fallen, the casualties had been greater than anyone could have imagined. If Jet and Droy had made it out, she would never know, but their names were carved on the walls of the shelters dedicated to their lost comrades. Gajeel had almost made it onto the list, in his attempt at getting her out of the city. Erza had been rounding up as many as she could, and he'd shoved her into the redhead's arms, kicking and screaming that she wouldn't leave him behind.

But many _had_ been left behind, and now one of them was standing in front of her, alive and breathing when he should rightly be _dead_.

A weight against her back supported her when she staggered in her step, and she snapped out of her daze. Metalicana's rumbling laughter reached her ears, before he pushed her back into a standing position. "I told you there would only be more discoveries within," he said.

From his place beside the Queen, Makarov's gaze softened. "I know this is a lot to take in, my dear."

A choking sort of laugh cut through the air, and it took her a moment to realize it had come from herself. She shook her head, wondering why she wasn't in hysterics already. "A bit of an understatement," she said, brushing her fringe away from her brow as she drew a deep breath. "Okay. I just need a moment."

The Dragon Queen tilted her head to the side, and Levy felt the scrutiny of the dark eyes watching her, and a shiver raced up her spine. She felt suddenly very exposed. "Our kind has marked you, little one," she spoke then, her low, melodious voice seeming to echo in the very walls of the cavernous chamber.

Levy tentatively touched the jagged scars on her forehead, lips pressed in a tight line. The testament to the single bravest thing she'd ever done, but also, perhaps, the most foolhardy. But she could never make herself regret the choice of running after Gajeel, no matter how mutilated her face was, because in the end, she hadn't had to carve his name onto the Wall amongst the fallen. He'd made it out; she'd dragged him away from the city until she'd collapsed somewhere in the outskirts, sheltered under the smoking ruins of an old building. Someone must have found them, because when she woke up, they were halfway across Fiore in the underground shelter that would become her home in the months to follow. Adapting to their new life had been hard, but they had done it; the few humans still left in Fiore.

And all the while _this_ had existed, just beneath their noses. For _centuries_, no less.

She had so many questions, she didn't even know where to begin, but her mouth was quicker than her brain, for once, and the words tumbled off her tongue before she could stop them. "You said 'our' kind."

The Queen lowered her head in what Levy assumed was the dragon equivalent of a nod. "I did. Yet they are not of my clan," she said, her voice taking on a sharp edge, like a sleek blade slicing the air.

"Then what–" she stopped the question before it could escape, unable to phrase it to encompass all the questions brimming within her, fighting to reach the surface. "Who are they?" She settled with the question none had been able to answer since the day of the attack. Where had they come from, summoned from the shadows of the world as they appeared to be? There hadn't been time to look for answers, struggling as they were with simply staying alive. But now...now she had the chance. They had to know, these dragons. If the invading dragons were not of their kind–

"A rift in time," Makarov spoke then, and Levy startled, before her eyes were drawn towards her guildmaster. The look on his face was oddly grave, and he seemed to have aged, somehow; not physically, but there were shadows behind his eyes that betrayed a knowledge he had not had the last she had seen him.

Levy shook her head, a frown tugging at her brows. "A rift...?"

"Did Lucy or Gajeel tell you of the discoveries we made during the games?" Makarov asked. "About the war four hundred years ago?"

Levy nodded. "Yes, but...that was four hundred–" she stopped, realization dawning on her like a sharp kick to the solar plexus.

_A rift in time._

"No." She shook her head. "That's–"

But it wasn't impossible, was it? _She'd_ been stuck in a time-loop for seven years, and Lucy had come back through the Eclipse. A rift in _time,_ opened to unleash an army of ancient dragons from four hundred years ago.

"The time from which they have been summoned is roughly four centuries ago, during the war. These dragons, ancestors to many of our kin, are still at war. They do not bother overly much _when_ they are fighting; only _who_ they are fighting," the Queen said, tail swishing restlessly against the cavern floor.

"Us," Levy said then, her voice hollow as she met the eyes of the serpentine monarch, who nodded.

"Yes."

Drawing a deep breath, Levy felt her shoulders slump. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't make matters any worse; they still had an army of dragons on their hands, ruling the ravaged ruins of their home, but beneath the facts lurked a darker truth that stuck to the forefront of her mind like a smudge. They had not gotten through a rift in time by themselves. Someone had opened it for them; had rounded them up and unleashed them on the unsuspecting future.

A name came to mind, but she kept it to herself. Voicing it would be redundant, she knew, as by the look on Makarov's face, he was well aware that she had caught on. And one more enemy meant nothing when they could barely stay alive as it was. They didn't have the resources or the people to send someone looking for Zeref. There would have to be another way to stop them.

The full reality of her situation seemed to hit her then, and she was suddenly very much aware of where she was.

"Why did you have me summoned?" she asked then, the question tentative, yet ringing loud and clear in the large chamber.

The low rumble from behind her caused a shiver of annoyance to race up her spine; there was no doubt in her mind now who had raised Gajeel, by his continued amusement on her expense. "Ah. There it is. I was wondering when she would ask that question," Metalicana mused.

Levy ignored him, and kept her eyes on the Queen and Makarov beside her. "Why haven't you summoned the dragonslayers? They're the ones who actually have a chance at defeating the dragons."

The slender dragon shook her great head. "Perhaps, yet it is not as simple as that."

"But you trained them for this...didn't you?" she asked, turning around to regard Metalicana and Grandine as another thought struck her. "Did you know this was going to happen?"

Grandine nodded. "Those of us who go so far back were on the side of the humans during the war. We were there when our adversaries were sent through the rift, so yes, we knew. Many believe the greater bulk of the opposing side was defeated by Acnologia, but it was not so. They were sent _here_, to fulfil their purpose in a time where dragonslayer-magic was reckoned to be extinct."

Levy frowned, and Metalicana shifted where he sat, straightening his neck. "As things are now, a handful of dragonslayers cannot hope to defeat an army of dragons alone. They are not yet needed, which is why we have not sought them out."

"Okay, but..." Levy shook her head. "What am _I _doing here then? If they can't make a difference yet, what hope do I have? I'm just a script mage."

"Not 'just'", the Queen said, pulling her attention back to where she was sitting, dark eyes gleaming in the sunlight streaming in from outside. "You know the story of Acnologia's inception."

A shiver ran down her spine just at the thought of it, but she nodded. "Yes."

"Then you know the dangers they face, utilising their powers to their full extent. It is a dangerous venture. Should either of them lose themselves, the consequences will be beyond what you can possibly imagine. Not just for your kind, but for all of us. Although Acnologia did not kill as many dragons as history has led you to believe, the numbers that fell to his evil was staggering. Many of our kin, along with the humans they were protecting."

Levy said nothing to that, but she felt rooted to the spot. The fear was still real in her heart, and the memory of their final moments on Tenrou as sharp as ever. And it was perfectly within the scope of her imagination, the thought of what could happen if one of their dragonslayers followed the path of the dark Dragon King. She'd dreamed of it often enough, in the months alone in Haven, not knowing where Gajeel was or if he was even alive. Or worse yet, if he was still human. It was a cloying fear that had had her in its grip since the day she had discovered the possibility, and she hadn't been able to get it out of her mind since. They were walking a thin line, all of them; Natsu and Gajeel even more so than the others, with their pursuit to always become stronger. It made her sick to her stomach, just imagining the event that one of them should _snap_–

"Perhaps it is not so far beyond your imagination," the Queen murmured, pulling Levy out of her thoughts. Drawing a deep breath, she tried to calm herself.

"You still haven't answered my question," she said, her voice hoarse. "What do I have to do with all this? Why was I summoned?"

The Queen shared a look with Makarov, before turning her bottomless eyes back to Levy. "Because I believe that if anyone can find a way to save us all, it is you."

Levy blinked, shaking her head, unwilling to believe what she'd just heard. "Come again?"

"We have in our possession centuries worth of knowledge," the Queen said. "Hoarded through the years, more so than ever in the wake of the invasion. You humans may be small of size and bring more damage than you do good, but there is something to be said of your accomplishments." She sounded amused.

Levy didn't bother pointing out that she was being too cryptic to be understood. Knowledge was well enough, but what could she hope to do to make a difference against an army of dragons?

"We cannot hope to defeat them as we are now; the last war taught us as much. Our survival was secured the moment our enemies passed through the rift. That is why we have prevailed, these past centuries," Grandine spoke up from behind her, and Levy turned around to regard the bird-like dragon. "But if we cannot defeat them, our hope lies in changing the basis of their existence."

Levy frowned. "Change the basis...?"

And then it hit her. She sucked in a breath. "Another time rift!"

Metalicana rumbled. "She's finally catching on." She shot him an indignant look, to which he returned a fanged grin.

Grandine rolled her eyes. "I swear, it's like you've just hatched," she muttered with a shake of her great head, before turning her gaze on Levy. "You are correct, little bird. And that is why we need _you_."

Levy laughed. "Me? Make a rift in time? _How_?" They needed Ultear for that, but Levy didn't know if she was even alive, let alone capable of making a rift large enough for a horde of dragons.

"With _this_," Makarov said, drawing her eyes towards him, and a gasp pulled its way past her lips at the sight of the object in his hands.

"That's–!"

The book from the Spirit World. The last time she'd seen it, it had been in her room in Honeybone, but with everything that had happened since the end of the games, the thought of it hadn't even crossed her mind.

Makarov smiled. "It was no coincidence that it should come into your possession," he said, holding it out towards her, and for a moment she just stared at him.

Something heavy and scaled nudged her forward, and she yelped as she toppled a few steps, before regaining her balance. Casting a glance back at the chuckling dragon behind her, she took the last few tentative steps towards her guildmaster. Beside him, the Queen regarded her with hooded eyes. The paler row of scales tracing the top of her head glimmered like gems in the filtered sunlight, appearing almost like a crown.

Levy's hands shook as she reached for the tome, and she breathed through her nose when her fingers brushed along the edges, before it was pushed into her grip. "It is yours," Makarov said. "It has been meant to be, for a long time."

She opened her mouth to ask – she didn't even know what. Too much had happened, and her head was still reeling from discovering that he was alive. That he had _been alive all along, _and now he was standing before her, smiling like he always had.

Tears pressed against the lids of her eyes, and for the first time since everything had happened, a sob tore its way past her lips, and she curled in on herself, sagging to her knees with the tome clutched close to her chest. And without another word, Makarov had crossed the last step between them and enveloped her in a hug.

"My brave girl," he murmured against her hair as she sobbed, hugging the tome like a lifeline, and all at once everything seemed to come crashing down around her. The devastation of the past few months; all the hurt and the longing and the _fear_. Emotions so overwhelming her body shook with the force of it, but the most prominent by far was something she hadn't felt in months; something she hadn't imagined she would ever feel again after the disaster of July 7th.

Hope.

And suddenly, all that had seemed so dark – their existence that had so long been about simply _surviving, _making it from day to day – was replaced by a reality in which the control was back in their hands, however tentatively. They weren't alone anymore, fighting for their meagre existence with no hope of victory. She had been given _hope_. It was in her hands, nestled against her chest. _Knowledge.  
_

And all she had to do was utilise it.

Pulling away from Makarov, she wiped the tears from her eyes, and when the old guildmaster smiled at her, Levy returned a wavering one. Pulling her to her feet, Makarov turned her towards the Queen, who was watching their interaction intently. She smiled. "Will you join us, Levy McGarden?"

Levy nodded, and squared her shoulders as she wiped the last of her tears away resolutely. "Yeah."

"Good," the Queen said, before nodding towards Metalicana and Grandine. "And who will be her wings? She cannot traverse the mountainsides without them."

Metalicana smirked. "She is of my kin. I will take her."

The Queen did not look surprised, only amused. "Is this acceptable to you, Levy McGarden?"

Levy regarded Metalicana with a surprised look, but nodded her head absent-mindedly. "Uh...yeah. Sure." She felt heat creep into her cheeks, but wouldn't admit that his declaration of her as his 'kin' had affected her. It felt important, somehow. It was more than just acceptance, she knew, although she couldn't for the life of her begin to imagine what a dragon would put into such an admission.

"Very well," the Queen said then, with a nod that seemed to seal it, somehow. "Metalicana will be responsible for you while you are with us."

Levy nodded again, although it felt a bit excessive, but she couldn't figure out what else to do. Hugging the tome to her chest, she regarded the two dragons before her, watching her with curious expressions. She still had more questions to ask them – one more so than any other, and it pushed its way past her lips before she was able to stop it.

"Why haven't you been to see them?"

They didn't need her to specify who she was talking about, but neither Grandine nor Metalicana seemed eager to answer. Levy frowned. "They've been looking for you for _years_. And you've been here all along. Why haven't you at least told them you were alive? When you disappeared–"

"It was not us that disappeared on July 7th," Metalicana said, cutting her off, and Levy frowned, before a thought struck her. It leaped out towards her; a possibility she hadn't thought about before. Hadn't _considered_, because it hadn't seemed _plausible_. But with all the talk of rifts in time...

"What are you saying?" her voice sounded hoarse to her own ears.

Grandine was the one who answered her, although Levy had already anticipated what she would say. "We could not foresee the future clear enough to know whether or not our magic would prevail, so we did the only thing we could think of to ensure that there would be dragonslayers ready for the fate that awaited the world. We have been here all along, little one; we have not disappeared."

She met Levy's gaze, and pieces of a puzzle she hadn't realized she'd been keeping in her heart seemed to fall into place with enough force to knock the breath from her lungs.

"The ones who _appeared_ on July 7th were our children."

* * *

The sun dipping down behind the mountaintops signalled the end of the day, and for the first time since arriving, Levy felt the sheer extent of her new reality, and just how far she was from home, however tentative that label was. The wind cut against her face, sharp and cold, yet it all felt so unreal, still. Like a dream from which she couldn't seem to rouse herself. All around her, the deep vales were quiet, save a lone call in the night from the shadows moving below. Nothing gave her comfort, not even knowing that Makarov was inside the Aerie at her back. It didn't drive out the feeling of loneliness that had taken root in her heart, stranded as she was in another world than the one she knew still existed somewhere below.

She wondered what they others were doing. Had they gone back to Haven after she'd been taken? Had they gone after her? Erza had given them strict orders not to, but it was always hard to tell how people would react beforehand. No one had actually gone and been snatched away by a dragon before, either. Killed, yes. But never _kidnapped_. Of course, she had no way of knowing if they had taken it as that; for all they knew, Metalicana had taken her away to maul her. To them it had just been a dragon amongst many.

"What heavy thoughts are weighing on you now, little one?"

Levy looked over her shoulder at Metalicana, who'd been sitting behind her since she'd come out of the great chamber earlier. Grandine had left some time ago, but as he'd claimed responsibility for her, the great dragon hadn't moved an inch. There, at least, he deviated somewhat from his son; he was a good deal more patient, but that might just be his species. Humans were famous for their impatience, after all.

She didn't know how to answer him at first, because she couldn't seem to organize her thoughts enough to pick out a question that would give her an answer to explain what was going on. It was just _too much_. Disregarding the existence of the dragon kingdom, and the origins of the invading dragons – which she had come to terms with, somewhat – she was still left with the fact that the dragonslayers were born four hundred years ago. And she didn't know what to think about that, because it was just so unbelievable, at the same time that it explained so many things: why they thought their dragons were gone, and why Gajeel and Natsu had been unable to escape Fried's rune barrier that time. They weren't of _this_ time.

Gajeel wasn't of _her_ time.

And somehow, with everything else – the distance already between them – it was almost enough to break the fragile grip she had on her heart. Would they have to go back, if they succeeded in what they had been sent here to do? She couldn't bear the thought of that happening, and felt sick to her stomach just imagining it. Everywhere she looked there seemed to be new ways to lose him; if not to the claws of a dragon, then to the fact that they were born centuries apart. If the dragons hadn't been sent the future, neither would Gajeel have been. He would have lived his life four hundred years ago, and only ages later would she be born. She'd never have met him, if not for the invasion of the dragons. The worst thing to have happened to her had also inadvertently resulted in the best thing that had ever happened to her.

The irony was a sharp taste on her tongue, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"You worry about my son."

She laughed, and wiped away a tear that had somehow escaped the tight reign she was trying to keep on her emotions. She shook her head. "I don't even know what I'm feeling anymore," she said, as she turned away from the haunting scenery before her to regard the dragon at her back.

"How did you know?" she asked then, because it was the first thing that came to mind in the jumbled mess that was her thoughts.

He tilted his head to the side. "You must be more specific that that," he rumbled.

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips despite herself. "How did you know I...that I was involved with Gajeel?"

He smirked. "Just because I have not yet stepped back into his life, does not mean my son's activities have eluded me these past years. And Makarov has been most helpful in 'filling in the blanks', as you humans would say."

Levy shook her head. "I don't even want to know what he's been telling you," she muttered, as she turned back to look at the slowly setting sun.

"I am glad," Metalicana said then. "That he found you. He does not have the most..._sociable_ attitude. I worried he would be quite without companions, in the new world to which I was sending him."

Levy snorted a laugh. "'Not the most sociable attitude' is putting it lightly_,_ I think_,"_ she murmured, but a fond smile tugged at her lips regardless. "He is something else."

"He has not always been kind to you."

She startled, but her gaze softened as she met his searching eyes. "No," she admitted. "But I have forgiven him for that. We didn't start off on the best of terms, is all. Now...I don't know what I'd do without him."

Metalicana rumbled a laugh. "You are every bit as intriguing as Makarov made you out to be," he mused. "There are not many who would blindly put their trust in someone who has once broken it."

Levy smiled a little as she looked back out towards the darkening horizon. "Yeah, well...someone had to trust him."

"No. No one _had_ to, but you did, regardless. The old man said you were good with that – trust. And likewise, I ask you to trust _me_ now."

She turned to regard him, one brow raised. "Trust you? I've just put myself into your care; I'd call that trusting, wouldn't you?"

By the smug look on his scaled face, she didn't think he did, and her brows furrowed as he continued to regard her. "What?" she asked.

"You are wary around me, and I suppose part of that is of my own making." He didn't apologise, and Levy wasn't in the slightest surprised, but refrained from rolling her eyes. He was too much like his son, she decided. It was eerie.

"But I consider you as part of my kin," he continued. "And though that might not mean much to your human conception of family, it is quite important. And so I need you to trust me completely, like you once placed your trust in Gajeel."

She looked up at him towering above her, suspicion crawling along the edges of her mind. The first time she had met him, he'd pulled her away from everything she'd known without so much as a thought to the consequences of his actions, and it was still fresh in her mind; discovering his presence in the library, and the hazardous flight that had followed. Gajeel's father or not, there wasn't anything remotely safe about the creature before her.

And yet...

"What would you have me do?" she asked then, crossing her arms over her chest as she met his gaze with her own, challenge swimming in her eyes. Metalicana grinned, the gleaming fangs catching the last light of the setting sun behind her, and something in her stomach dropped.

Her fears were confirmed when he nodded towards the drop behind her. "Jump."

She didn't think she'd heard him right at first, but when he made no move to call his bluff, Levy felt some sort of hysteric humour bubble up within her. "You're not serious."

He gave her a look, and she shook her head. "No. _No_ – you're joking. I'm not stupid, see? I'm a _smart_ human." She tapped her temple to emphasise her point.

Still he said nothing; only continued to regard her with that amused glint to his cunning eyes, and Levy looked back over her shoulder to the cliff's edge and the valley far below, and then back to Metalicana. "You're serious. Heavens, you're actually _serious."_

Still he said nothing, and Levy felt her jaw slacken as the full implication of his command settled, along with the fact that he wasn't joking.

Then she exploded. "You're actually asking me to throw myself off a _cliff_?" She couldn't keep the note of hysteria from slipping into her tone, and her eyes darted back towards the cliff edge and the perilous drop towards the valley below.

Metalicana chuckled. "Little one, I am asking you to trust me to _catch you._"

She rounded on him at that, the words hitting their mark, and there was a strange look in his eyes – as though challenging and curious at the same time. He'd put the choice into her hands, and now awaited her decision.

And she was reminded, as she met his searching gaze squarely with her own, of a time when another pair of eyes had looked at her like that, and a similar decision had had to be made. Granted, the decision hadn't required jumping off a cliff to certain death, but finally placing her trust in Gajeel had been no less challenging, after all he had done. It had not been unlike balancing on a cliff's edge, hovering between the choices laid out before her. To forgive and to trust...or to exclude and to fear. And when she had finally made her choice, he'd looked at her with the same gaze his father now wore – challenging, to see if she was serious, but also curious, for her choice had been unexpected, the circumstances taken into consideration.

_The old man said you were good with that – trust. _

Tearing her eyes away from the dark gaze holding hers, Levy drew a deep breath, and without another glance at the dragon beside her made three determined steps towards the cliff edge...

...and jumped.

* * *

AN: In my mind Metalicana is such a troll, he'd wait until the last possible moment to catch her, fufu. And for those interested in Cassie's full theory about the origins of the dragonslayers, it's on her tumblr (she's **yaushie**, and she also does some very snazzy artwork – go check her out!)


	5. hope in the midst of despair

AN: What's this? It's ALIVE? Here's hoping that my dry spell is over, and that I won't leave you waiting for months for the next update, fufu (please put zeh pitchforks down).

Anyway, here's a little note on the logistics of the story: In the time after the dragons invaded, most of the cities and villages have been abandoned, and the survivors have settled in sanctuaries within the mountains and underground, the largest and most prominent of which are _Refuge,_ _Haven_ and _Harbour. _There's also the new 'frontier settlements' in the south, _Anchorage_ and _Sanctum_ (Sanctum being the one furthest out). Levy travelled from Refuge to Haven in the first chapter, while Gajeel went south to the frontier settlements.

Warning: This is an AU, so I will take my share of artistic liberties regarding the plot. Also, **rating has changed to 'M'** for language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters – Hiro Mashima does. Cover image by Rae.

* * *

It had been four months.

Four months spent without her, not knowing whether or not she was doing well after the move. Four months spent in the worst, most ravaged parts of the country, living with the constant reminder of the danger that lurked overhead.

It had been _four months_, and he was _tired_.

Raising his hand to shield his gaze from the glare of the sun, Gajeel rested his eyes on the horizon in the distance. Nothing stirred the trees spanning the stretch of land from the slope of the hill to the snow-capped mountains in the distance. At least for the moment, the world was quiet.

"Do you see anything?"

"Nah."

He sensed Lily come up beside him, and let his hand drop as he adjusted the bag over his shoulder, although it wasn't very heavy. They were low on rations, as they'd been forced to make a detour to avoid a particularly dangerous area where a dragon had decided to nest. Gajeel wondered idly if they would make it to the mountain range before they ran out completely. Field rations did little for his appetite, but metal was hard to come by these days, and even if he'd had some, he couldn't have carried much with him. Travelling cross country meant carrying as little as possible in order to move swiftly from one destination to the next. Keeping enough rations was all well and good, but when it came to hostile dragons, keeping a fast pace was far more crucial.

"It's quiet," he muttered after another scan of the scenery. Autumn was fast approaching, and the sky was a clear, cloudless blue over the yellowing leaves of the trees. It was deceptively _normal_, and he struggled not to unintentionally let his guard down. Just because he couldn't see the dragons didn't meant they weren't there. He grunted. "Almost _too_ quiet."

His partner snorted, casting a wary look at the sprawling land before them. "Please don't say that – that's the textbook way of _asking_ for something to come swooping down."

Despite himself, Gajeel felt a grin tug at his lips, and he shot his partner a sly look. "Scared, Lil?"

The Exceed crossed his arms over his chest, throwing Gajeel a sidelong look. "Under the open sky? Always."

Gajeel said nothing to that, but cast another quick glance over the cloudless expanse of blue stretching out above them. Empty. There was no beat of great wings, and no ear-splitting screeches marking their impending doom. For once, the skies were peaceful.

A pretty façade, and they both knew it, but neither of them mentioned it as they set off down the sloping hill. They had a long trek ahead of them, and he doubted they would reach Haven before sundown. But then, travelling by night was safer than travelling by day, and finding shelter was dangerous even if one of them kept watch. He'd travelled Fiore enough after the siege to know the new rules of the land by heart. Venturing outside at all was dangerous enough, but moving across the country, now that was just asking to be snapped up and devoured, which was why only a few were allowed to travel between the sanctuaries. They didn't have any mages to lose, but they couldn't stay cooped up underground, either. It was a tight rope to walk, and not for the first time did Gajeel find himself thankful he wasn't the one stuck making decisions, like Titania.

They passed through the first line of trees at the bottom of the hill, into the cover of the sparse forest, and Gajeel felt his shoulders relax as they stepped into the shadows granted them by the trees overhead. Of course, the danger was no less imminent, and trees only provided so much cover, but living in constant vigilance was exhausting, and he welcomed the feeling of temporary protection from the open sky as best he could. It probably wouldn't last very long, their recent luck taken into consideration. He'd had a few near run-ins before he'd caught up with Lily, and then one nasty encounter on their way south. He wasn't eager to repeat either experience.

"So, you looking forward to seeing your girl?"

The teasing comment fell so naturally between them, it was like they were on one of their routine missions, back before the world had gone straight to hell. It was almost too easy, forgetting where they were and what they were doing. Easy, but dangerous, and he had to keep a tight leash on his senses to remind himself just what lurked overhead.

"It's been four months," was all he said, knowing full well Lily wouldn't take anything less than an outright 'yes, damn it, ya nosy cat!', but secretly welcoming the familiar banter. Even if it didn't make their trek any less dangerous, it made him feel _normal_. Like maybe the world hadn't all but ended, and humanity wasn't hanging on by a thread. And it had been months since he'd last felt anything of the sort.

As expected, Lily took the bait. "'It's been four months'? That's all you're going to say?"

"It's a fact."

"It's also a gross understatement. I mean, it's not like I expect you to serenade your feelings or anything, but _come_ _on_."

Gajeel had to concentrate to hide his smirk. "Whaddaya want then, cat?"

"The truth, preferably, which would be that you've missed her and that you're looking forward to seeing her again. Hell, I know_ I _am."

Gajeel rolled his eyes, and refrained from mentioning that he was well aware. In fact, outside their fragile existence and the ever present danger of being snapped up by dragons, the bookworm was the main subject of Lily's conversations. And it wasn't that Gajeel had anything against hearing about her, it was just that it was damn hard to _not_ miss her presence when the cat was constantly reminding him that she was, in fact, not there with them.

But not thinking about his problems was _his_ way of dealing with them, and he knew Lily dealt better by talking, so he let it slide. And anyways, hearing his partner refer to her in the present tense kept him focused on the fact that she was, in fact, still alive. Unlike too many other people he would rather not think about. Like her accessories.

"–always made sure to bring kiwis, you know? Even if I didn't ask for them. _And_ she actually made sure to read up on the missions we were doing, unlike _someone–"_

He wondered if they were alive somewhere, Speedy and the fat one. They'd been declared MIA since the attack, and he knew most people thought they were dead. Natsu did, anyways, and the last he'd spoken with Titania, she'd grudgingly admitted the same. But Shorty didn't, and he expected she never would.

"Are you going to tell her?"

The question dragged him away from his thoughts, and Gajeel met Lily's searching look. The previous good humour was gone from his furry face, replaced with a seriousness that made him uncomfortable. He must have picked up on his line of thought, the creepily perceptive weirdo that he was.

He turned his gaze back to the overgrown path before them, meandering between the bushes ahead. "Dunno what there's to tell, Lil."

He could practically feel his friend's gaze on him. "She doesn't know, does she?"

Gajeel sighed. "Knows what?"

"That you made an extra detour all the way out to Sanctum to check if anyone had any news about Jet and Droy. You didn't tell her before you left." There was a note of accusation in his tone, as well as a hint of grudging respect.

Gajeel grumbled. "What's there to tell? Just thought I'd check. Not like it's a big deal."

"It's a big deal to _her_. They're her family."

"And they're most likely dead. Ya want me to tell 'er _that_?" he snapped.

Lily didn't flinch away, only raised a brow, as though suddenly realising something. "You care."

"Shaddup."

"No, _you_ shut up. You _care_, and you need to stop treating it like it's a disease. You cared enough to travel an extra two _weeks_, across dangerous territory, to check if anyone had any news. _News_, Gajeel. That's _caring_, and she'd appreciate the effort. And _don't_–" he held up a paw to stop Gajeel from interrupting. "_Don't_ tell me you didn't do it for her. You did, and you should tell her, even if you didn't find out anything more than you already knew. She'd appreciate that, at the very least." He shook his head. "It's got to be better than living without knowing."

Gajeel grunted. "Yeah, well, they could still be alive." But even as he said the words, he could hear the doubt in his own voice. And with a glance at Pantherlily, he knew the feeling was mutual. Living outside the shelters was possible if you were prepared and on the move, but only for a short time. It had been months since the siege of the capitol, and no one had seen or heard from them. If they had survived and gotten out of Crocas, they might have stayed alive for a time. But if they still hadn't made it to any of the shelters...

They'd found evidence of people like that – poor souls who hadn't made it to the sanctuaries. Or their charred remains, mostly. Bad enough to give a grown man nightmares.

"She won't take it well," he said after a moment of silence, as he lifted a branch to make his way further down the path. "Shorty...she thought they were still alive even when Titania didn't. Ya want me to tell her she was wrong all along?"

"I want you to tell her you did everything you could to find them."

"I didn't."

"But you _did_. You didn't have to go all the way to Sanctum. Hell, even _Natsu_ said you were crazy for doing that. Their last two messengers hadn't made it, or did you forget?"

Gajeel only grumbled. "Someone had ta make contact sooner or later."

"But it didn't have to be you, and yet you still did it. And you should tell her _that,_ even if it means they're most likely dead."

Gajeel said nothing, and Lily fell silent, no doubt knowing that arguing about it further was useless. But it wasn't like he'd just made the decision out of nowhere. He'd been weighing his options since they'd left Sanctum two weeks ago. Hell, for a while it had been _all_ he'd thought about. He hadn't seen her in four months, and to bring her news that her boys were nowhere to be found in any of the shelters? That they were most likely dead, and had been all this time? If he said nothing, she would hold on to the belief that they were out there somewhere, alive. That they'd made it south with the others, and were in one of the sanctuaries but just hadn't been able to make contact. After all, the people in Anchorage hadn't heard a word from Sanctum in six weeks because they kept losing messengers. Gajeel was the first who'd brought back word that they were even alive. And now Gajeel would be the first to bring back news from the frontier settlements in six months.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to fight down the approaching headache. Two weeks, and he wasn't any closer to figuring out what to do. Tell her and break her heart, or lie and let her live with her hopes?

It struck him then how much of an influence her mental state had on him, that he was actually considering going with the option that would spare her feelings. Years ago he would have called anyone who avoided the truth a pussy. Only weaklings clutched onto comfortable lies to spare themselves from feeling pain. Years ago he would have delivered the news without so much as a thought to how the recipient would take it.

But then, years ago he'd also had no scruples when it came to beating up and pinning innocent girls to trees.

"She'll be glad to see you again."

He didn't take his eyes away from the path before them. The trees overhead blocked his view of the mountain range where Haven was located; they had quite a trek ahead of them. Neither of the frontier shelters had sent out messengers other than the two of them, so their arrival would be unexpected. She'd be happy, he knew that, but part of him was still dreading their arrival. Four months was a long time – longer than they'd been _together_ before they'd parted. If they had an official date, that was. He wasn't even sure of that himself. It had just sort of happened, and the transition from comrades to...whatever they were now, still wasn't very clear. One day they'd just...been. The end of the games had been the catalyst, he knew that much. It had been all awkward glances from him and shy smiles on her part before that; the actions of uncertain people with all the time in the world ahead of them.

The end of said world had changed their perspective on things, but they'd never declared themselves official. It was just there – the knowledge that they were exclusive. Hell, everyone else knew it, and had taken the news in stride, as though it was the most natural thing. But then Fairy Tail had always been weird like that.

But _four months_.

"You're not still afraid she's moved on without you?" There was a touch of reprimand in his friend's voice, and Gajeel closed his eyes, remembering that he'd brought up the subject before, _and_ that Lily had called him an idiot for even thinking it. "This is _Levy_."

He shot the Exceed and annoyed look. "Yeah? And I might be dead for all she knows. Or she might've...fuck, I don't know. Stop pokin' yer nose into my business!"

Lily snorted. "And let you wallow in self-pity over something as ridiculous as this? Get over yourself. And get over your fears – she'd wait _years_ if that's what it took, and you know it."

Gajeel muttered, "I ain't wallowing."

"But you're afraid, and I get that, but I still think it's ridiculous. She's the most stable thing you've got in your life right now, _and_ you know where you've got her. At least you don't need to worry about whether or not she's still alive, like she has to."

"Don't jinx it, Lil."

"Don't pretend to be _superstitious_, Gajeel. If Haven had fallen, we would have heard about it; it's the biggest settlement, and they've got two dragonslayers stationed."

"Still doesn't make it completely safe."

Lily shrugged. "It's the safest there is at the moment."

His friend had a point, but it didn't mean he liked it. He knew her work kept her well within the mountain, but there was always the chance of their sanctuaries being discovered. Dragons were not unintelligent; they were clever creatures, highly adaptable to new environments and more than capable of rooting out their prey, no matter how hard it might hide. Part of him – and a selfish part at that – had wanted to take her along with him, but he had enough common sense to know that even if he got to protect her himself, being outside was by far the more dangerous option.

"And you know she's resourceful; she knows how to take care of herself, if something _were_ to happen," Lily continued.

He didn't bother telling the Exceed that he already knew that. He knew it probably better than most, but that didn't change the fact that he felt better – felt more _useful_ – if he at least had the chance to keep her safe. And in his experience, physical strength trumped wit and intelligence when it came to dealing with dragons. At least the ones who'd invaded, who seemed to share a common single-mindedness in taking out the human populace. You couldn't communicate with dragons like that, who viewed humans as prey and prey only.

And not for the first time since the siege did Gajeel find himself wondering where his old man was, or if he was even alive. If he was, he had to know what was going on, if he was still in Fiore. Why hadn't Metalicana sought him out? Why hadn't any of their dragons shown themselves, even now? The kid hadn't heard anything the last he'd spoken with her, months ago when he'd taken Levy from Refuge. Even Natsu'd had no more news, and Gajeel knew he'd volunteered to go south almost exclusively for a chance to look for Igneel.

He turned his gaze to the foliage above, catching the barest hints of sky between the branches and the leaves, and flickers of filtered sunlight. The forest remained quiet around them, the only sounds being the gentle rustle of the leaves, and the steady shuffle of their footsteps along the path. Gajeel's brow furrowed as he searched amongst the branches, eyes alert for any signs of dark shapes against the patches of open sky.

_Where the hell are ya, pops?_

* * *

It was an hour from sunrise when they finally approached the edge of the forest at the foot of the mountain – the starting point of the journey he had begun four months ago. Aside from a near-encounter half-way through their trek that had led to a breakneck run through rough terrain, they were both mostly unscathed. They'd been damn lucky, and as Haven came into view before them, Gajeel almost couldn't believe they'd made it back alive.

They'd had a heavy shower of rain throughout the last two hours of their journey, and his clothes were soaked through, his heavy coat dripping with water and his boots soggy and uncomfortable. The smell of wet fur clung to his nose, but he guessed he didn't smell much better to Lily. _Never thought I'd say this, but I'd give my left arm for a fucking __**bath**__. _

"_Finally_," he heard Lily mutter as they stepped out of the forest and into the shelter of the mountain, looming tall above them in the grey morning light.

"Yeah." Letting his shoulders relax, Gajeel took a moment to survey the area, making sure it was completely clear before making his way forward, away from the tree line and towards the mountainside, Lily at his heels. And despite his previously dark thoughts, his head seemed to clear as he neared the hidden entrance. Days of travelling on an empty belly and in bad weather – it seemed a lifetime ago as they approached the sanctuary, something akin to eagerness simmering in the pit of his stomach, like it did before a particularly promising battle. Without realising, he'd picked up his pace.

He heard Lily chuckle behind him, and refrained from snapping something insensitive, focusing instead on making his way towards the entrance to the shelter. Like everything else, it was quiet as they approached, but it didn't take long for the sentries stationed outside to notice their arrival. He saw one of them make a signal, and the other disappeared inside, no doubt to inform Titania.

"Gajeel Redfox." He recognized the guy – one of those flowery idiots from Blue Pegasus. He raised his hand in a silent salute, and pushed past him without another word. He wasn't up for a chat, and the guy looked like he'd wanted to say something, so his best option was to just keep walking.

"O-oye–"

"Talk ta Lily – I'm getting something ta eat," he snapped as he ducked into the cave and out of sight.

The passageway into the mountain was dark and musty, but blessedly _dry,_ and he welcomed the change from the damp forest he'd spent the past two days travelling through. There were small lacryma crystals embedded in the walls along the corridor, emitting a soft yellow-green glow that lit the path into the mountain. A few early risers passed him on his way, and an eager murmur of voices rose in his wake – it wouldn't take long before the entire shelter had been alerted to their arrival.

He wondered if she was awake.

"Gajeel!"

"Alberona," he greeted with a grunt as the brunette popped into his field of vision. Ignoring the surprise evident on her face, he pushed past her. "Ya got any liquor stashed away? I could do with somethin' sharp."

She didn't answer right away, and he stopped in his tracks. "What are ya, deaf?"

She seemed to snap out of whatever state she'd been in, and his brows furrowed at the look in her eyes. Nothing good came with looks like that. "What," he asked, only half joking, "You out of booze or somethin'?"

Still she said nothing, but her brows were furrowed, and she seemed to be weighing her options. He turned to fully face her. "Oye, yer freakin' me out here. What's the deal?"

"Gajeel."

The new voice made him turn his head, and he nodded a greeting to Titania as she appeared in the arched entryway behind him. "Red."

She didn't return his greeting, and it was only now that he took note of the subtle differences from the last time he'd seen her. Her eyes seemed more sunken, and there were new lines between her brows. Despite her usual air of control and determination, Erza looked _tired._ Gajeel frowned. "Ya look like you've had a rough few months."

Her humorless smile spoke of the understatement of the century, but all she said was, "I'll explain inside," before she turned on her heel. "Follow me."

Gajeel shot Cana another look, but the brunette had averted her eyes, and refused to meet his gaze. Something clenched around his insides, but he pushed the feeling down violently, refusing to deal with the possibility that had presented itself as sharply as a well-aimed kick to the gut. Turning away from Cana, he followed the redhead, ignoring the people walking towards him as he pushed his way down the following corridor, and the next. Surprised murmurs followed in his wake, and the dread rose in his throat like bile, so much so that he felt physically ill.

The fact that Levy had yet to show herself was like a glaring spot on his mind's eye, refusing to be ignored, but he couldn't think about it. _Couldn't_, because that left a whole world of questions and answers he didn't think he could deal with.

Crossing the doorway into the room he knew was used for debriefings and meetings, Gajeel slammed the wooden door behind him with more force than was strictly necessary. His hands shook, but he masked it by clenching his fist around the strap on his empty duffel bag, still slung over his shoulder. The water dripping from his coat was already making puddles by his feet, but any thoughts of changing into a set of dry clothes had left him the minute Titania had opened her mouth in the passageway.

Now the redhead was leaning against the large stone slab that passed for a table, arms crossed over her armoured chest. He caught a glimpse of Jellal out of the corner of his eye, leaning against the wall to his left.

"_Talk_," he growled, trying vainly to keep himself calm despite the fact that he felt like tearing someone apart. Part of him could already tell what was about to happen – he'd been present during his fair share of meetings like this. Meetings where nerve-wrecked sods were told their so-and-sos had been killed in action, or better yet, that their mutilated remains had been found somewhere.

He'd never been on this side of the conversation, however, and there was a reason for that. Quite easily, because he had very few people that would require such a meeting to take place. And he'd left one of them only five minutes ago.

Which left him with only two options, neither of which he wanted to think about.

Erza regarded him closely for a moment, not saying anything, and he was about to raise his voice and repeat his demand when she took a deep breath. "You are aware of the expeditions we make, occasionally, into the cities. To retrieve valuable information from our old guilds."

It was a statement more than a question, and he snapped his mouth shut, surprised at the unexpected subject of discussion. Perhaps it wasn't what he'd thought it was, after all.

"Aa," he answered at last, warily, uncertain as to what she was asking–

And then it dawned on him.

"_**No**_."

Erza closed her eyes. "Gajeel–"

"Don't _fuck_ with me, Red! I swear ta _God_–"

"I'm not _joking_, and I'm sorry for what I'm about to say–"

"Shaddup! Don't say it – _just don't fucking say it_–!"

"Four weeks ago we sent a team to the ruins of Blue Pegasus to retrieve some valuable scrolls from their archives – scrolls that have been a crucial asset to the successful upkeep of this shelter–"

"Red, I _swear–!"_

**"**_**Scrolls,"** _Erza nearly shouted, "That Levy McGarden helped locate, before she–"

He didn't realise he'd struck out before a hand clamped around his wrist, stopping his fist a hairsbreadth away from her nose. Jellal regarded him coolly, but with a regret so palpable it felt like a physical blow. "Gajeel," he warned.

"_What_," he snarled, "are ya tryin' to _say_?" His voice had risen to a shout, and his hand shook in his effort not to latch out again. Jellal tightened his grip, but with visible effort.

Erza closed her eyes again. She hadn't even moved to defend herself, and he wondered briefly if she'd have taken the hit if Jellal hadn't stepped in. Guilt clung to her like a fog – the kind of guilt he'd often seen in Makarov's eyes, the times injured guildmembers had come back from missions that had turned out to be beyond the class stated on the board. The kind of guild that came with a leader's responsibility.

He heard her take a deep breath before she continued, meeting his gaze squarely with her own, her voice hard as steel and speaking words that might as well have been in another language for his lack of comprehension. "Four weeks ago, Levy McGarden was declared missing in action. There was a dragon hiding in the guild ruins they were searching, and it took her away. We...haven't found the remains, although we've sent out teams in search of them. Last week she was declared dead..."

She continued speaking, like she was giving a report, cool eyes fixed intently on his as she spoke, telling him about the mission, the team that had _volunteered_ – the word jumped out at him, drove the message home. The figurative nail in the figurative fucking coffin.

_Her_ coffin.

He didn't hear what she said after that; he could see her mouth working, but there was a white noise ringing in his ears, and he wondered if he wasn't perhaps losing his mind. The air felt heavy, suffocating, and the walls and the ceiling of the cave like they were pressing down on him.

"...Gajeel?"

"_Why_?" he growled, the sound more animal than human, and he saw the way her guard went up, like a physical shield. Even Jellal tensed, but Gajeel wasn't in enough control to curb his anger. And part of him didn't want to; part of him wanted to tear the place apart with his bare hands, because he just couldn't make it add up.

"Why _her?_ Why the hell didn't ya send someone else? _Anyone else?!" _He was dimly aware that he was shouting, and of the dark, cloying energy surging along his veins. His control was slipping, and he was letting it.

But Erza wasn't easily intimidated. "She _insisted_, Gajeel. She came here because she wanted to make a difference, she–Gajeel!"

He heard them call after him as he spun on his heel, grasping the iron doorhandle and throwing the door open with enough force to tear it clean from the wall, only to clatter heavily against the stone floor. The noise in his ears rose, drowning out the sounds around him, the voices calling his name, and he pushed past the people crowding the corridor. He had to restrain himself from physically wiping away the pitying looks on their faces – expressions he hadn't recognized on his arrival, but that were so glaringly obvious now that he made his way back out. He saw the looks, saw them directed at _him,_ and he felt rage surge through him, the likes of which he hadn't felt since his days in Phantom Lord.

"Redfox! Oye!"

He barely registered Cana's call as he marched past her, but the brunette wasn't deterred this time. She grabbed hold of his coat. "Damn it, would ya stop!?"

He whirled around, pushing her into the stone wall with enough force to knock the breath from her lungs. "Stay the _fuck_ out of my way, Alberona."

She picked herself up, glaring and rubbing the back of her head where it had connected with the cave wall. "Keep a leash on yer rage, Iron Man," she growled back. "This ain't the time to–Hey! Get yer ass back here! _**Hey**_!"

He ignored her, rounding the corner that lead to the passageway out of the mountain and nearly ramming right into Lily. "Whoa, Gajeel! The hell are you going? Gajeel!" But he wasn't listening, too focused on what he was about to do to pay any mind to those standing in his way.

The resigned look on Hibiki's face told him he'd been expecting the blow, and he took it without so much as turning his head away, and the sickening _crack_ as Gajeel's fist shattered his cheekbone echoed in the passageway like the toll of a bell. He caught Lily's incredulous yell from behind him, and a second later a strong hand was wrenching his arm away, the Exceed having transformed to physically tear him off the mage now sprawled on the ground. "What's gotten into you?!"

"Pantherlily, it's alright." Hibiki was pushing himself to his feet, a hand clamped over his cheek. "I deserved that."

"Oye, Hibiki–" Cana began, but he held his other hand up to stop her.

"I'm guessing she told you then?" he asked coolly, his question directed at Gajeel. "That I was the one to suggest she be present at the debriefing in the first place. She wouldn't have been informed of the mission at all if it hadn't been for me." Gajeel heard Cana's sharp intake of breath at the news, and it only strengthened his urge to tear the man in front of him to pieces.

"The hell do ya get off suggestion people for suicide missions!?" He snarled, straining against the hold his partner had on him, but Lily didn't so much as flinch.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking from Gajeel to the bleeding mage.

Hibiki never took his eyes away from Gajeel as he spoke, and with a coolness that made him want to disembowel him on the spot. "Levy McGarden was declared KIA two weeks ago, after a retrieval mission to Blue Pegasus. A mission I personally recommended her for, as her deciphering skills far surpassed those of our other mages." He paused, his look softening. "I'm sorry for your loss, Gajeel Redfox. Your...relation, has been widely known for some time."

Gajeel felt Lily's grip slacken, but Hibiki's words had cooled his anger enough to make him rein in his control. "_What_?" There was disbelief in his partner's voice.

"She was in the basement, searching the library." It was Cana who spoke up. "I heard some noises, and I went to check on her..." She trailed off, as though at a loss of how to continue.

"A _dragon_," Gajeel growled. "That someone should have _noticed _before you'd fucking entered the place!"

"Even so," Cana said. "We didn't. And she was down there a good while before it got her. Laxus' guess is that it'd been drawn by the hoard and made a lair of the place." She closed her eyes, her brow furrowing. "It's _weird_, though..."

Gajeel's head snapped in her direction. "What?"

She shook her head, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. "I've gone over it lots of times in my head. I thought I'd imagined it, y'know, so I didn't say anything ta Erza, but...when I came down ta check on her, I heard her talkin'...First I thought it was just girly bein' herself, y'know, mutterin' to herself like she does when she's doin' research, but..." She met his gaze. "I swear ta God I heard it _laugh_."

Gajeel's brows furrowed. "The dragon?"

She shrugged. "What else? Then it just...snapped her up." She shuddered. "Clamped its claws around her and just...took off with her. It was gone when Laxus showed up. I didn't even get a good look at it, it was pitch black down there."

Gajeel stared at her, having just remembered something Titania had said. "Ya didn't find any remains," he said then, speaking the words slowly, turning them over in his mind.

Cana averted her gaze, shaking her head. "We searched the area, but...there wasn't a nest or anythin'–oye! Where you goin'?"

He didn't look back at her as he spoke, "Ta do yer fuckin' _job_, Alberona."

"Gajeel!" He heard Lily follow him.

"I ain't got time fer this, Lil. Stay here if ya want, but I'm going."

"Going _where_? Didn't you hear what Cana said? They've already searched the area–"

Gajeel whirled around, cutting the Exceed off and meeting his gaze with his own. "When was the last time ya heard of a dragon _kidnapping_ someone?"

Lily blinked, before his brows furrowed. "So you think she might still be alive?"

"Alberona said she heard her talkin' to it. My guess is she was trying to communicate, the _idiot_." But if anyone could make a dragon listen it would be the bookworm. He latched onto the thought with the last ounce of conviction he had left; he was going to need it.

"So...what? It just took her? What would a dragon want with a human?"

Gajeel didn't answer, quite simply because he hadn't the faintest idea of that himself. From what he'd learned of the dragons they'd encountered so far, not one had been interested in communicating. But that didn't mean there couldn't be exceptions to the rule – like dragons with other ambitions than the mindless slaughter of humans. He should know – he'd been raised by one.

They'd made their way outside when Gajeel finally stopped, allowing Lily to fully catch up. The sun had risen above the treetops in the time they'd spent inside, casting a soft golden glow over the mountainside.

"So you're going out to look for her," Lily said.

"I swear, Lil, if ya try ta stop me..." He looked at his partner, only to find him looking back with equal determination.

"Not if you let me come with you I'm not," Lily countered, raising a challenging brow.

Gajeel was silent a moment, regarding his friend closely. "I'll be going _into_ dragon territory, ya know, not around it."

Lily shrugged. "Gonna need someone to watch your back."

"Titania would never allow it," Gajeel continued, although he knew the decision had already been made.

Lily gave him a significant look. "And since when have you _ever_ listened to your superiors?"

Gajeel smirked. "I was talkin' about _you_, Lil."

The Exceed chuckled. "Well, if the end of the world can't change a person, what can?" Then his look turned serious. "But we're not going back out there without provisions."

Gajeel grumbled. "We'd have ta go through Red to get it."

"Not necessarily."

At the sound of the new voice – the _familiar_ voice – they both looked up towards the cave entrance, and the shape emerging from the shadows of the mountain. Gajeel had recognized her by voice alone, but it still didn't make seeing her there any less surreal.

"_Juvia_?"

The water mage smiled, as though her sudden presence was the most natural thing. "Gajeel-kun. Lily-kun," she greeted, tilting her head. "Juvia was wondering if you had room for one more."

Lily frowned. "I thought you were in Refuge, Juvia."

"Yeah, what the hell, woman?"

The corners of her mouth turned down at that, and she cast a glance towards the entrance to the shelter. "Juvia came to Haven when she heard the news about Levy-chan. Juvia did not believe it at first – she wanted to find Levy-chan for Gajeel-kun, but Juvia did not find anything. Juvia is sorry," she said, averting her gaze as she spoke. But when she looked up again, her eyes had hardened. "Now Juvia wishes to go with Gajeel-kun to rescue the love of his life! It's Juvia's duty!"

Gajeel resisted the urge to sigh, marvelling silently that even the end of the world hadn't doused her eccentricity. From beside him, he caught Lily's amused look, and wondered idly how big the headaches would be with the two of them tagging along.

But he also knew he needed the help, and if he was honest with himself, aside from Shorty herself there wasn't anyone he'd rather have at his back than the two before him.

At last, he expelled a long suffering sigh. "_Fine_. If ya keep quiet about the love-crap, you can come."

She brightened instantly. "Juvia will aid in the search for Gajeel-kun's lost love!"

Gajeel rubbed the bridge of his nose, muttering, "I'm gonna regret this."

Lily grinned. "Probably. But on the bright side, at least she brought provisions."

At the mention of said provisions, Juvia grinned, holding out a heavy duffel, and Gajeel grudgingly took it. He'd have liked to have a change of clothes, but he wasn't about to take his sweet time if he could help it. According to what Titania had said, Shorty had been taken a month ago. And four weeks was a long time, even for someone with Levy's wits. If the dragon hadn't killed her yet, he dreaded to think what it was keeping her around for, if it was. Hell, even thinking she was still alive was a long shot, but the simple fact was that he dreaded what would become of him if he _didn't_ believe it. If he just accepted that she was dead like the rest of them...

He pushed the dark thought back to where it had come from. If there was even the slightest chance she was still alive somewhere, he'd scour the whole damn country to find her. And if it turned out she wasn't...well, there were plenty of dragons were they were going. If he was going to go, he'd at least take a few bastards with him.

He caught Lily's look, and could tell his partner was more than aware of his plan. No doubt that was half the reason he'd offered to come along. Not just to watch his back, but to make sure he actually came back, if the only things they were to find were bones.

Pushing the thought of bones forcibly to the back of his mind along with the rest of his misgivings, Gajeel adjusted his new bag over his shoulder. As far as he was concerned, she _was_ still alive, keeping some poor dragon up at night with her endless chatter. Or she'd gotten away and was trying to make her way back. Either way, he wasn't averse to crossing the border if that's what it took to find her. And that meant weeks of travelling, if they even made it that far.

"Let's head off before Titania comes lookin'," he said. "I ain't got the patience ta deal with any crap about insubordination right now."

Juvia stepped up beside him, her own bag slung over her shoulder. "Juvia knows the way to Blue Pegasus. Juvia thinks it is a good place to start."

Gajeel nodded. "Ya ready, Lil?"

The Exceed shot him a wry smile. "To charge head-first into dragon-infested territory after just making it _out_ of dragon-infested territory? Sure. Just lead the way."

Gajeel gave him a look. "I told ya – ya don't have ta come with me."

Lily only smiled as he walked past him, towards the forest they had not long ago come out of. "I know," he said. Stopping, he met Gajeel's gaze squarely with his own. "But she matters to me. And if there's a chance that she's alive, I'm not going to sit on my hands doing nothing."

_And someone's got to make sure you come back, if we fail. _He might as well have said it out loud, for all the weight his unspoken words held.

Gajeel said nothing to that, only tightened his grip around the strap of his bag, now heavy with provisions. How long those would last, he didn't know, but that was the least of their problems. "You two better keep up," he muttered, as he made his way towards the trees, leaving Haven behind him, perhaps for good. They followed in his wake without a word, falling into routine as though they were on any other mission, and the bizarre thought struck him that only an hour ago his primary objective had been to get something to eat.

_I swear ta God, Shorty, if I find ya yer gonna hear about it. _

_And yer ass better be __**alive**__._

* * *

AN: For those of you who've read my other works, it'll be no surprise that I've dragged Juvia into this, fufu. I CANNOT RESIST.

And for those yet unaware (if there are any, I shall now remedy that!), **raedoodles** on tumblr is in the process of making the first chapter of Ravaged into a comic! She's made twelve _amazing_ pages already, and it's the greatest honour of all to have such a brilliant artist illustrating a fic that was originally born from a piece of artwork _she'd_ made. AFTON YOU ARE SPLENDID AND THE WORLD SHALL HEAR ABOUT YOU. So go take a look – you will NOT be disappointed!


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